A History of Domestic Violence
by Aoife129
Summary: Logan's mom was keeping a secret . . . across the country. How will it change things in Neptune?
1. Chapter 1

A History of Domestic Violence

Disclaimer: The obviously recognizable characters belong to Rob Thomas and the staff of "Veronica Mars," and I humbly thank them for creating them. The song lyrics in chapter 1 are from "Our Town" by Kate Rusby. Credit must also be given to my awesome roommate and good friend who aided in the writing of this story--both by being a beta and inspiration.

Author's Note: All titles are variations on pre-existing movie titles in order to follow the format for naming episodes in "Veronica Mars."

--Chapter 1: Echolls' Family Reunion--

Lauren walked in to hear them fighting. This was nothing new. She dropped her bag and started upstairs. "Where d'ya think you're going?!" He was in one of his moods again. She didn't reply; she just turned to face him. He stomped up the stairs toward her--something was different today. Sara ran up the stairs after him.

"No!" She grabbed his arm, trying to hold him back. "Ren, get out of here!" She pulled with everything she had in her, and she almost succeeded. He twisted and pushed her down almost a full flight of stairs. Lauren watched in horror as the woman who'd been caring for her fell to the ground with a loud crack.

Sara didn't move again.

Lauren snapped her attention back to where she was, and she ran up the rest of the stairs as fast as she could. She had to get to a phone or at least get something to protect herself. He pounded up the stairs after her, screaming her name. Her heart beat in her ears and her muscles strained to the breaking point as she threw her whole body against the door, keeping him from entering. It was locked, but it wasn't very strong, and she couldn't hold the door forever.

With a sudden burst, the door exploded, throwing Lauren back across the room and into her mirror, shattering it into hundreds of jagged shards. Blood streamed from her knees and hands as she tried to pull herself up out of the mess of razors. He pushed her over with his foot and kicked her. Pain shot through her as he connected with her rib cage. She kicked up, catching his leg. He fell to one knee and grabbed her shirt, pulling her back into the pile of glass. Kneeling over her, he got his hands around her throat, and she choked and sputtered, trying to breathe. Her vision started to blur. She began feeling the fragments beneath her and found a large one. The skin on her palm split, blood teeming down her arm, and with her last ounce of strength, buried the shard deep in his neck.

---------

"Hello?"

"Is this Mr. Logan Echolls?"

"Yeah, what can I do for you?"

"Mr. Echolls, we have a Lauren Lester admitted here. She's in intensive care right now, and you're listed as her next-of-kin."

"Who?"

"Lauren Lester."

"I've never heard that name before."

"Well, nonetheless, Mr. Echolls you are listed as her next-of-kin. I must insist that you at least come out here to finalize her paperwork."

"Why?"

"Excuse me?"

"Why _must_ you insist?"

"Because she's a minor, and her foster parents are now dead, which makes you her legal guardian. If you don't wish to be, then you have to see a judge and get that changed. But for right now her social worker is requesting that you come."

"Alright fine, what hospital?"

"Massachusetts General."

"_Massachusetts_?!"

---------

Logan did find it slightly funny that he had landed at Logan Airport. But now, as he made his way down the long hallway, he wasn't laughing at the situation. This was not how he envisioned spending a week of his summer vacation. He turned into room 516 to find a young girl asleep in the bed. She'd obviously been badly beaten, but she also seemed to be healing well. She looked a little familiar--not like he'd seen her before, but more like she could be related somehow. Lester was his mom's maiden name, so maybe she was a cousin or something. All he knew was he'd flown across the country for this girl, so she'd better appreciate it.

He sat down in the chair next to her bed and opened the file that the social worker who'd met him in the lobby had handed him. "Just take a look at it," she'd said. "I'm not telling you what to do but it may help you make your decision." In it he found a number of police reports, hospital records, and other forms indicating foster home changes--there were eleven of those. Eleven homes since she'd entered the system eight years ago? That had to be rough. But as he started reading the forms, he realized that she'd been removed from each home because of abuse. Raised by an adoptive family for eight years, only to have them die and be thrown into beating after beating in home after home? Logan definitely felt for this girl. But he wasn't sure he could be responsible for another human being. And why him anyway? Who was he--who was _she_? He turned another page and found his answer. There before him were her birth certificate and guardianship information, along with a letter and one more police report.

Logan had a sister--a sister he'd never known about. Apparently they were full-blood siblings, but she'd been born here in Boston. She'd gone home from the hospital with the adoptive couple, and Lynn had relinquished her parental rights. Apparently though, at some point Lynn had tracked her daughter down because she had authorized the order to name Logan as Lauren's next-of-kin. But it had been done years ago, why hadn't they called him until now? Whatever the reason, they'd called him this time. He read the letter; it was from his mother--their mother--and it was dated just weeks before she'd thrown herself off the Coronodo Bridge.

_Dear Lauren,_

_If that's even still your name, though I hope it is--I always liked it, and I was honored that Nate and Jesse allowed me to choose your name. I know I have no right to contact you. I've never been a mother to you. But I wanted you to know where you come from, and why you are where you are now. I owe you that much. When I found out that I was pregnant with you, I was afraid. Aaron, your father, was starting to get violent, so I didn't tell him I was pregnant. I considered an abortion, but that didn't seem fair to you, and I knew that Jesse desperately wanted a child but couldn't get pregnant. It seemed like the perfect solution--you would get a better life with them than you would have here. When I started to show, I brought my son Logan out here with me, and we stayed with Nate and Jesse until I gave birth. He probably doesn't remember anything about it though, he was only two. Thanks to a very helpful social worker named Gale, all the paperwork was finished by the time you were born. Logan and I said goodbye to you and Boston and came back to Neptune, California because being away for four months was pushing things--especially for the wife of an actor. For what it's worth, I did it because I cared about you, though I know this is probably too little too late. I want you to know that I was able to give Gale a way to get in touch with your brother Logan, should you ever need him._

_I'm sorry and I love you,_

_Lynn_

Lauren stirred, but didn't open her eyes. "You waking up?" he asked. But she didn't show any signs of consciousness. "Okay," he said, "Have it your way; I've got time." He looked back down at the file in his lap to find one more police report; it bore Tuesday's date--two days ago--the day before he'd gotten the call.

A neighbor and a co-worker had found Lauren unconscious underneath her foster father, his throat sliced clean through. The neighbor mentioned that this was one of many domestic disturbances she'd heard coming from the house. However, this time one of Lauren's co-workers had knocked on her door, asking if she'd seen Lauren . . . she hadn't shown up for work that day, and she was never late. Together they'd gone into the house, found Sara dead at the bottom of the stairs, called the police, and then discovered Lauren, still barely clinging to life. They'd rolled Mark's body off of her and made sure her heart kept beating and her lungs kept breathing until the paramedics arrived. He read the medical examiner's report and the detective's theory about what happened. He looked at the harsh black stitches, carving a path across the pale palm of her open right hand.

A nurse came in to check Lauren's IV and to make sure her wounds were staying clean. "Is she gonna wake up?" Logan asked, concerned.

"I don't know," the nurse admitted, "But I sure hope so--Ren's a really great girl. She's in here a lot. She's had a lot thrown at her, but she just takes it all, and smiles, and gives you a free drink at the bar, or bakes you some cookies."

"She's my sister." He still didn't quite believe it. "No one ever told me I had a sister, but I'm still kicking myself for not being here to protect her." The nurse nodded solemnly and left. Logan leaned toward the bed and whispered, "Listen, you have to wake up okay? . . . Because you're the only family I have left, and we don't even know each other." He scooted the chair a little closer to the side of the bed and took her left hand in his own. Uncertain of what to do next, he pulled out his phone and flipped through the numbers in his phone book, finally settling on one. He pushed the send button and listened to it ring. One . . . two . . . three . . . four.

"Hey it's Veronica, leave a message." He closed the phone, ending the call.

A few hours passed, and a different nurse came in to check on Lauren. "There's a couch in the waiting room if you'd like to lie down," she offered.

"I'm not leaving her." He seemed adamant.

"Would you like a pillow then, maybe a blanket?" she asked.

"Um yeah, thanks." He was fading fast. He could barely keep his head up as she returned with the items.

"They're not very soft, but they're more comfortable than just that chair."

"Thank you," he said again.

"If there's anything else, just let one of us know." He nodded and made himself as comfortable as he could while she closed the door behind her. He didn't remember falling asleep. His eyes had betrayed him and closed while he tried to keep his vigil. It was her movement that finally woke him.

Lauren opened one eye, then slowly opened the other; this proved a more difficult task than it should have been, but then, she _was_ facing the window. Her eyes took a minute to adjust, and she realized she was in a hospital room . . . again. She straightened her neck and caught a glimpse of the ceiling before squeezing her eyelids shut again in pain; her head threatened to explode. She forced her eyes open again, wincing in pain, clenching her jaw tight to ward off the agony. A tiny cry escaped as tears rolled from the corners of her eyes, but she would not let it become more than that. She sucked in as much air as her lungs would hold and let it out slowly. _Breathe Ren, just breathe._ In, out, and in again. With each breath she pushed the torment farther back, and she was now becoming aware of the rest of her body. The familiar ache of cuts and bruises along her back and ribs, and for some reason her hands felt heavy.

Her eyes fell to her right hand and the rend that had been closed with black surgical thread. A flash of memory seared her mind, but she closed her eyes to it, banishing it from her thoughts; she would deal with it later. On her forearm she saw a small red dot, surrounded by irritated skin. So they _had_ put in a saline drip, but it was gone now--she knew this meant they were preparing to put in a feeding tube. She turned her head to her left hand, and it took her a minute to realize there was someone else's hand holding hers. It was a man's hand, but none that she knew--it was too clean. Her eyes followed the arm up to its owner and widened, startled when she saw who it was. She lay there, blinking--it couldn't be . . . could it? He opened his eyes--it was him all right. "You're awake." He sat up, still holding her hand. "I'm . . ."

"Logan," she finished.

"You know who I am?"

"Lynn sent me a picture of you once. I kept it in my wallet, but that's with my pants . . . which are probably in a bag in Jody's locker. He's usually the one who keeps my things for me." She struggled to sit up, pushing against her throbbing ribs and her stinging hand.

"Wait, let me help." He fixed her pillow and gingerly placed a hand under each arm to help lift her upright. She let out a small cry, and he put a hand on each of her shoulders. "Are you okay?"

"I'll be fine, just give me a minute." She let out a breath, and he sat back down in the chair. "So, why are you here?"

"They called me and told me that I had to come take care of some paperwork."

"You flew all the way out from California for _paperwork_? I mean, you still live in California, right?" She couldn't completely turn to face him.

"Haven't moved yet, though sometimes I wonder what's stopping me. The lady who called said I had to--that technically I'm your legal guardian."

"But you didn't have to stay." Her eyes held a mixture of gratitude and sadness. But the sadness was deep; she didn't feel it because of him, it was a part of who she was. He understood that.

"Yeah I did." He stood. "I'm gonna go tell the nurses you're up. Do you need anything?"

"Nothing the nurses won't get me before I can ask," she laughed. He nodded, allowing half a smile to appear where his worried expression sat only seconds before. Leaving the door open, he left the room and turned down the hall toward the nurse's station.

He returned a few minutes later with Mary in tow. "How ya feelin' Sweetheart?" she asked, checking the cuts and bruises on Lauren's face and arms.

"Like I was hit by a bus."

"Are you hungry?"

"Yeah; it might hurt, but I really don't want a feeding tube again."

"Can't you give her anything for the pain?" Logan asked.

"Wish I could," Mary answered.

"That's what happens when you practically live in an emergency room for eight years," Lauren reasoned. "It's okay--I'm used to it." Mary kissed her on the forehead and left to get her some breakfast. Lauren sneezed and her ribs screamed at her; for a moment it left her breathless. Logan stood up quickly and put a hand on her shoulder--she'd never seen anyone react to her like this before. "Logan, I promise I'm not going to fall apart," she laughed, painfully. Jody entered with a small cart. "I'm only awake fifteen minutes, and they're already sending in the vampire?"

"Just doin' my job Sweetheart." He pulled out a sterilized needle and attached it to a vial. "Which side?"

"Left if you can get it, please." Logan watched in wonder as Jody simply looked at Lauren's arm and stuck the needle in without using a tourniquet. Lauren watched it too, unsurprised. "Hey boyo, when am I gettin' my stuff back?" she asked as he pulled the needle out and covered the site with gauze and tape.

"Before the end of my shift, I promise."

"I want real clothes."

"Well, they had to cut your shirt off, and your pants were pretty well soaked. I can find you some scrubs though."

"Thanks, I would like to feel a _little_ covered."

"You got it Babe."

"You're my favorite, Jody." He also kissed her on the forehead as he left, passing Mary on her way back in.

"It's not the best quality, but I threw in a little extra if you're hungry," she said to Logan.

"Uh, thanks," he returned. Mary smiled and nodded politely back to him.

"Honey, if there's anything else, you know the drill." Lauren held up and shook her nurse's button to show that she did. Mary left them, and Lauren pulled the cover off what the hospital tried to pass as food.

"Mmm, powdered eggs," she said sarcastically. "My favorite." She picked up a fork, which she held loosely in her right hand--it didn't seem to want to bend all the way--and poked at the food. "Talk to me," she requested.

"What?"

"Talk to me," she repeated, "It helps me forget about the pain if I focus on something else."

"What do you want to hear about?"

"Anything--tell me about who you are, where you come from." He thought for a moment, unsure of what to say--how was he supposed to tell this girl, who'd been abandoned and abused most of her life, about growing up in luxury? Even now--he lived in the presidential suite of a five star hotel. He started to talk about his friends, but she stopped him. "I can't see you. Come sit here." She pointed to the bedside. He did as she bade, and she handed him a fork.

Together they picked at the poor excuse for food in front of them as Logan told Lauren about his life in Neptune. A doctor eventually entered the room. "Hey Peebo."

"Hey Graeme."

"Jody threw this at me in the hall on my way over." He handed her a large plastic bag containing a wallet, a small set of keys, a few pieces of jewelry and a pair of once black--now stained red--high top Converse All-Stars. There was also a set of scrubs shoved in on top.

"Thanks," she replied gratefully. He sat down on the bed on her right side so that Logan could hear him too.

"I have good news and bad; which do you want first?"

"Which did you get first?"

"The bad."

"Then start with that."

"Alright; Murphy put in your stitches, so it's gonna hurt when they come out."

"Great," she sighed, "And what's the good news?"

"No broken bones this time, and you'll be out of here tomorrow morning." He gave Logan a quick glance, then focused back on Lauren, briefly laid a hand on her leg, stood and left.

---------

They stepped out of the back of the cab--Ren had never ridden in a taxi before. The yellow crime scene tape still warned against entering the house, but she had to get her things--the scrubs worked for now, but she would need other clothes soon. A police officer escorted Logan and herself underneath the tape and through the doorway. "Thanks Mickey." He nodded back to her and let the two go on alone--the police already knew what had happened here--anything left in that house was Lauren's if she wanted it. Logan followed slightly behind his sister.

She picked up her bag, still laying just inside the front door, and carried it upstairs. There was no longer a door in the pathway to her bedroom, so as soon as they made it to the top of the stairs, they could see the reflective, silver pile of mirror shards that had been both Lauren's scourge and her salvation.

She made it to the doorway but had to stop. Logan put a hand on her shoulder and helped her enter the room. She turned the other direction, toward her dresser, so that she was facing away from the mirror. Together they packed clothes and a couple more pairs of shoes into the bag she'd brought up as well as one Logan pulled from the closet. When they had everything, they started back out the door, back to the stairs.

Lauren made it to the spot she'd been when Mark had pushed Sara down, and she stopped. Her knees buckled, and she lost her resolve. In all the homes she'd lived, all the abuse she say and put up with, not once had she ever seen someone killed right in front of her. Kneeling there on the landing, looking down the stairs, she cried for the first time in years. Logan kneeled beside her and put his arm around her shoulders, hugging her close.

---------

As soon as Ren pushed open the heavy wooden door, she was recognized with a chorus of her name. Logan followed her up to the bar. Danny looked up from the drink he was pouring to see her hop up onto a stool, followed by a fairly tall boy right next to her. "Geez Ren, Mark got you good this time didn't he?"

"So good I was unconscious for two days," she responded, popping a pretzel in her mouth.

"Yeah, Sean told us about that. Who's your friend?"

"Brother actually; Ma left me out here and never told him about me--the hospital called him when I didn't have a foster family anymore." Logan was amazed at how nonchalantly she spoke. "His name's Logan. Logan this is Danny--he's the guy who made sure the cops never cared that I was working here underage." Danny nodded, and Logan returned the gesture. "So, unfortunately I have to let you know that I'm leaving. Logan's offered to let me live with him out in California."

"You know what that means don't you?"

"No," she begged, knowing exactly what he was talking about. "Please don't make me." It was too late; he made his way onto the bar and pulled Lauren up next to him.

"Everybody listen up!" Danny yelled, getting the attention of the room. "Seems you people have scared our girl away!" The room audibly objected almost in unison, and she shook her head, protesting what he was going to make her do. "Ren's leavin' for California, so we're gonna send her off right . . . and she's gonna sing for us!" She rolled her eyes as the men cheered and some started yelling up song requests. When she raised her hands, they all hushed. She took a deep breath and sang:

_Up the street beyond the red neon light_

_That's where I met my baby one hot summer's night_

_He was the tender and I order a beer_

_It's been forty years and I'm still sat here_

_Can't you see the sun's sinkin' fast_

_Just like they say nothing good ever lasts_

_Go on and kiss it goodbye but hold onto your lover_

_Cause you're heart's gonna die_

_Go on and say goodbye to our town, to our town_

_Can't you see the sun's goin' down on our town_

_On our town, good-night_

_It's where I met my baby and I had my first kiss_

_I've walked up Main Street in the cold morning mist_

_Over there is where I bought my first car_

_Turned it over once, now it won't go far_

_Can't you see the sun's sinkin' fast_

_Just like they say nothing good ever lasts_

_Go on and kiss it goodbye but hold onto your lover_

_Cause you're heart's gonna die_

_Go on and say goodbye to our town_

_Can't you see the sun's goin' down on our town_

_On our town, good-night_

_I sit here on the porch, I see the lightning bugs fly_

_I can't see too well for the tears in my eyes_

_I leave tomorrow and I don't want to go_

_Oh I love you my town, you'll always live in my soul_

_I can see the sun's sinkin' fast_

_Just like they say nothing good ever lasts_

_Go on I've got to kiss you goodbye, but I'll hold to my lover_

_Cause my heart's gonna die_

_Go on and say goodbye to my town, to my town_

_Can't you see the sun's goin' down on my town_

_On my town_

_I can see the sun's sinkin' fast_

_Just like they say nothing good ever lasts_

_Go on I've got to kiss you goodbye, but I'll hold to my lover_

_Cause my heart's just died_

_Go on and say goodbye to my town, to my town_

_I can see the sun's goin' down on my town_

_On my town, good-night_

Logan, along with the rest of the room, sat quietly mesmerized until Lauren finished. When she was done she threw kisses out to her audience. "Thank you guys, you've been great to me. I'll miss you all" The crowd agreed and honored her with their applause as she jumped down from the bar and hugged Danny. He pulled some cash out of the register and handed it to her.

"Here's your last week's pay. You take care of yourself now." He kissed her on the cheek, then nodded at Logan once more. Logan nodded in return and laid a hand on his sister's back, following her through all of her good-byes and finally out the door.

When they'd reached the street again, Lauren took a deep breath and looked up at her brother. "Let's go."


	2. Chapter 2

--Chapter 2: Coming to Neptune--

Logan opened the door to the presidential suite that he and Dick shared in the Neptune Grand Hotel. Dick was sitting on the couch. "Dude, you leave for like a week and don't tell me you're going? I almost called the police."

"No you didn't," Logan countered. "I had to run an errand." Lauren stepped out from behind the wall so Dick could see her.

"An errand that involved bringing home a beat-up chick?"

"A beat-up chick who happens to be my sister, Lauren. Ren, this is Dick."

"Is that a name or a title?" Lauren mused.

"Dude, I thought Trina was your sister." Apparently Dick hadn't heard Ren, or was choosing not to.

"Ren is my _other_ sister--she's been living in Boston, but as of late, finds herself homeless. She's gonna stay with us for a while, okay?"

"You can't just be bringing in random chicks off the street to live here. It's bad enough you let your girlfriend in."

"You got _married_ to a girl you knew for two days once, remember?"

"Dude, why you gotta be bringin' that up?"

"Not your finest hour?" Lauren asked.

"You have one drunk trip to Vegas . . ." Lauren laughed briefly at his desperation, and Logan quickly steered her toward his room. They dropped Lauren's bags and went back out into the living room.

"Hey, we're gonna go get some food, wanna come?" Logan offered.

"Nah, I just ordered some. Thanks though--good to know you're still thinkin' about me." Logan was not in the mood to deal with Dick's sarcasm, so he grabbed Lauren's hand and pulled her out of the room. Once they were in the hall, he slowed his pace, but still held onto her hand. She looked at their hands, then gave Logan a strange look.

"I'm not five, Logan--I'm not gonna get lost."

"Oh, sorry." He dropped her hand.

"It's okay," she assured, smiling up at him.

---------

Heavily laden with shopping bags, they stumbled into the room once again. Dick was gone, probably out to a party. "I can't believe you bought all this." Lauren went into Logan's room and dropped all of her things.

"Hey, I've got the money; I might as well spend it on someone who deserves it right?"

"Well, I don't know if I deserve it." She replied, coming back out and sitting down on the couch.

"Of course you do; you're my sister." He sat down next to her; she smiled and kissed him on the cheek. Then she picked up the remote and turned on the TV.

"So how many channels do you get on this thing?"

"Like fifty I think." He put an arm around her.

"_Fifty_?" She flipped through the channels, finally settling on one that was playing the movie _Dr. Strangelove_. "Ooh, I love this movie."

"Really? Me too," he smiled.

An hour later, Lauren was finding it hard to hold up her head. "It's only 11:00," Logan protested in surprise.

"Maybe here, but I'm still on Boston time," she reminded him. She stretched out on the couch, laying her head on his lap. "Plus, I don't think I've ever eaten that much food in my life." Logan laughed, then reached over, grabbed a blanket and spread it over her. Lauren was out like a light, so much so that she didn't respond at all to the knock at the door. He gently put a hand under her head, slipped out, and placed a pillow beneath her to lay on instead. Logan hurried to the door before whoever was there decided to knock again. He opened it to find a sassy blond.

"Hey, I was gonna call you tomorrow."

"Well, I just ran into Dick, who said you were back from your secret excursion. So, I decided to surprise you." She kissed him, then pushed past him and into the room, stopping when she found Lauren on the couch. "Huh . . . did Dick leave something on the couch?"

"No, she's mine."

"And she's there because . . . ?"

"I'm redecorating," Logan responded sarcastically, moving to sit on the edge of the couch.

"I probably would have gone with a nice throw and a couple pillows, but a girl works too I guess." Ignoring her, Logan kissed Lauren's forehead. She opened her eyes slightly.

"Hey, there's someone here I want you to meet." He brushed her hair back from her face as she yawned. She looked past him to the small blond standing in the walkway.

"Is that Veronica?"

"No this is Parker," he answered. "Parker," he turned to look at her, "This is Lauren . . . she's my little sister." Parker stood looking shocked for a second, and finally found her voice.

"Can I see you in your room for a minute please?" He obliged, standing and following her into the other room. He closed the door, but Lauren could still hear them arguing. "This is why you disappeared for almost a week?"

"Yeah, I had to go to Boston to get her."

"Boston? You had a sister living in Boston that no one knew about?"

"Including me; my mom never told anyone about her, but I was listed as her next-of-kin, so when she had nowhere to go, her social worker called me."

"How do you know she didn't just see you on TV and forge her own papers, listing you as her next-of-kin?"

"Parker, you think after what happened with my brother that I would be that stupid again?" He was getting a little irritated with her. "She had a picture, like an actual photograph, of me in her wallet that my mom had sent her in a letter explaining her birth. I have her birth certificate that lists my parents as her parents, and on top of that, I had a DNA test done while she was unconscious . . . she's my sister."

"Okay." Parker hated being chided. "I just didn't want you to go through all that again." He nodded, softening.

"Do you want to come meet her?"

"Sure," she smiled weakly, following him back out into the living room. Lauren was sitting up by the time they got to the couch. "So Logan tells me you're from Boston," Parker said, attempting to make small talk. "What's that like?"

"The weather is cold most of the year, and as for people--they're the same everywhere: some are great and some you gotta watch out for. Unfortunately, I got stuck living with a lot of the latter." Now that she was up close, Parker found it hard not to notice Lauren's cuts and bruises, and even harder still was not staring while Lauren talked. To Parker's shame, Lauren acknowledged this. "It's okay; you can ask about them if you want," Lauren assured.

"What are they from?" Parker ventured tentatively.

"The last of a long chain of abusive foster homes," Lauren answered matter-of-factly. "This one just happened to claim the lives of both my foster parents--finally giving my social worker a reason to call Logan. The stitches come out on Monday. Then they won't look quite so bad, but getting it done is not gonna be a good day."

"I'm taking you for ice cream after that, remember?" Logan confirmed. "Then we're just gonna hang out--movies and room service." Lauren smiled weakly at him and nodded. He placed a reassuring hand on her arm and she returned the gesture. After just this few minutes, Parker knew that something about Logan had changed. And she'd better get used to this girl, because Logan wasn't going to let her go.

---------

They sat in the waiting room, all three of them. Lauren looked nervous but resigned--as if she'd done this more than once before. Dayna, the Physician's Assistant, came out and called Lauren's name. Because it was just a simple procedure, both Logan and Parker would be allowed to follow her back. She was given a gown because of the stitches on her side, back, and shoulders that needed to come out along with those on her right hand and forearm. Parker made Logan wait outside for a moment, and Lauren was glad that Parker had insisted on coming; it was much easier letting Parker help her out of her shirt and into the gown. Logan came in and helped Lauren up onto the table as Dayna entered with a rolling table holding scissors, disinfectant, gauze, and a few other tools meant to aid in the procedure. "Where would you like to start?" Dayna asked Lauren.

"How about with my hand--that's probably going to hurt the most." Dayna nodded. Logan sat down next to Lauren and held her left hand as Dayna disinfected her right. Parker watched as the woman began removing the stitches.

"Wait, aren't you supposed to numb it or something?"

"I can't have any kind of pain killers or anesthetic unless I need to be unconscious," Ren explained. "Over the years, my body built up such a tolerance that it wouldn't do any good. They'd have to give me a dangerous amount for it to have any effect."

"Oh." Parker was stunned and couldn't think of anything to say. Dayna set back to what she was doing, and Lauren squeezed her brother's hand tightly, clenching her jaw against the pain. Stitch after badly sewn stitch, Dayna pulled them out, wiping up the small amount of blood that escaped with them.

"Did a four-year-old put these in?" Dayna commented.

"Pretty close," Lauren returned through her teeth. "Murphy's an intern who will probably stay that way for a while." An hour and a half later, Lauren was free of stitches and covered with bandages. And Parker had a whole new respect for this girl who'd taken so much pain without crying, or even so much as a whimper for that matter.

Logan went to pay the deductible as Parker helped Lauren back into her shirt. They started down the hall slowly, meeting Logan on the way out the door. It took much longer than it should have, but they finally made it back to the car. There was nothing wrong with Lauren's legs, but that many stitches all at once had wiped her out. She sat sideways in the backseat, leaning against her left side--the only spot that hadn't needed stitches.

"What flavor do you want Ren?" Logan asked as he pulled out of the doctor's office parking lot.

"Boring," she replied.

"Boring?" Parker asked, confused.

"Vanilla it is," Logan answered, knowingly.

---------

They made it back to the hotel in slightly higher spirits than when they'd left--the ice cream definitely seemed to make Lauren feel better. Dick was on the couch when they opened the door. "Dude, you're just in time for _BloodRayne_." He seemed proud of it; Lauren on the other hand, had other thoughts.

"You mean the cheesiest and most low-budget vampire movie ever made--including _Nosferatu_? I think I'll be out on the balcony for a while."

"I think I'll join you," Parker said with a slightly disgusted look toward Dick. Logan started to follow them, but Parker stopped him. "Uh-uh, girl-time--you stay with 'Frakula' over there." Logan looked at Lauren, and she nodded that she would be alright. The girls went and had a seat outside while Logan sat down on the couch.

"Dude, it's probably not the best idea to let your girlfriend and your sister hang out . . . they're gonna start talking about you."

"Thanks Sherlock." Logan seemed mildly irritated, but not at the fact that Parker and Lauren were talking. He could tell that Parker still didn't quite trust Lauren, and he was almost certain that she was trying to find something to prove that Lauren wasn't really his sister. The thing was, he already knew she wouldn't find it, and he didn't like that Parker was pushing her. He knew what it was like to have to talk about being abused--it brought up every memory of every beating you ever got--and he knew how many beatings Ren had endured.

"How long have you known about Logan?"

"A couple years; I got the letter right before Lynn died."

"Why didn't you look for him?"

"I told my social worker not to call him unless she had to--I didn't want to be a burden on him; he's only two and a half years older than me. I mean, who was I to expect anything from him?"

"What was different about this time?" Parker tried to sound like she was making small talk.

"Well, since both my foster parents _died_ it was either find a new couple who was willing to nurse me back to health, or take a shot in the dark and see if Logan would. I guess Gale was tired of having to relocate me all the time and decided to try my last blood tie."

"How many foster homes have you been in?"

"Eleven total; two since I learned about Logan, and I only spent six months in the last one." Ren was getting a little irked by Parker's questions. It seemed like she was digging for something, or she was just really nosy, Ren couldn't decide. "How many homes have you lived in?" Ren countered.

"Just one; my parents are still together." Parker took the hint, but it was too late.

"I'm getting a little cold; I think I'll join the guys after all." Lauren stood up, went back into the room and sat down next to Logan on the couch. Parker stood watching the two of them through the glass for a second, then made her way back to the front door.

"I'm gonna head out; I've got some errands to run."

"Okay, I'll call you later." Logan seemed slightly surprised but unsympathetic.

"Later Parker."

"Bye Dick." She turned and walked out nervously.


	3. Chapter 3

--Chapter 3: Requiem for a Nightmare--

Parker followed Logan out onto the balcony. He stood watching the sunset for a minute. She laid a hand on his back, but he didn't acknowledge her--didn't even seem to feel her. Then he quickly turned, walked back into the room and closed the door. She was surprised, and didn't have time to react. He locked the door. She yelled, "Hey! I'm still out here!" But he didn't hear her; the glass was too thick. She knocked on the door, but he didn't even look up. Something caught his attention. It must have been a knock at the door, because he made a beeline for it. When he re-entered her line of vision, he was pushing a room service cart. He yelled toward his room, and Lauren emerged. They sat down on the couch and began eating. Talking and laughing, they still seemed oblivious of Parker--no matter how much she yelled or pounded on the glass. She paused, watching them; they seemed so comfortable with each other, like they'd grown up together all along. Her hands and voice hurt, but she continued trying to get their attention. It seemed to be working as they stood and made their way over to the sliding glass door. But they just stood there, looking right through her. Lauren's eyes finally met hers, she squared off, and then grabbed Logan's hand pulling him away from the window.

She woke up in a cold sweat.

Parker threw back the covers, and headed toward the bathroom. She stood looking at herself in the mirror, and pulled her hair back into a ponytail. Reaching for a glass, she turned on the water, let it get cold, and got a drink before going to stand next to her window.

Her roommate heard her. "Are you okay Parker?" she asked, standing in Parker's doorway.

"I'm fine," she replied. "I've just got a lot on my mind."

"You wanna talk about it?"

"I don't know. It's this whole thing with Logan's sister. I think I just need to work it out on my own."

"Okay." She turned around and went back to bed, leaving Parker to think.

Lauren could hear them arguing before she even opened the door. She didn't know how much more of this she could take. She'd only been in this house six months, and already Mark was getting violent. She heard dishes crashing--they were in the kitchen. Sara was crying. By the time Lauren made it into the house, they had entered the living room. She walked in, and threw up her arms just in time to block a picture frame from hitting her in the face. "Stop it!" she yelled. But Mark's rage had taken over; he couldn't hear her--he didn't even seem to know she was there. "Sara, are you okay?" But Sara didn't answer her. "Sara!" Again no reply--it was like she wasn't even there. She crossed in between them, trying to catch their attention. But it was no different on the other side of the room. Mark threw more objects: a remote, a candy dish, a lamp. The last hit Lauren, knocking her off-balance. She began falling toward the window.

She woke up in a cold sweat.

Lauren sat up, breathing hard. She let her eyes adjust to the darkness around her. Then she got up and went to the bathroom. She watched her reflection. The cuts and bruises were beginning to fade, making her look like herself again. She got a drink of water, and walked out to the balcony. She opened the door a crack, squeezed through and stood out at the railing.

Logan found her out on the balcony, staring off into space. "Ren?"

"Porches were always a good way to get out of the house without getting yelled at for leaving."

"What's going on?" He was worried.

"Apparently even thousands of miles won't cure nightmares," she said, unfeeling, still staring into nothingness. He went back inside briefly, returning with a blanket. Then he embraced her from behind, wrapping the blanket around them both.

---------

"Where is she?"

"She's still sleeping--she was up late last night."

"How is she adapting to Neptune?"

"It's been hard, but I figured it would be. Why do you keep asking about her?"

"I'm just curious."

"You sound like you're fishing."

"I'm just trying to look out for you Logan."

"You're making her out to be a gold-digging fraud."

"No I'm not I just . . ."

"Parker, she knew about me for two years, and even then it was her social worker who called me. She put up with some of the worst foster homes even after my mother wrote to her. Doesn't that tell you anything?"

"That she was waiting until the state cut off her funding to come hit you up for money."

"Did you seriously just _say_ that?"

"Logan, I didn't . . ."

"Maybe you should just do what you do best and run away."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I mean, it never fails Parker. Whenever you need me, I'm there, but when something happens in my life that warrants a little support, you can't handle it. Not to mention the fact that you can't handle me even talking to other girls, so how are you gonna handle me living with one? You know what? This time, just don't worry about it--I can handle things myself."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying maybe we shouldn't be together anymore."

---------

"Dude, I still can't believe you're getting an apartment," Dick said as he loaded a box of Lauren's things into Logan's car. "You guys could do so much better."

"Look at it this way Dick," Lauren reasoned, "You get the whole suite to yourself. And you can still come visit us--it's not like we're leaving town."

"That's true." Dick suddenly didn't mind Logan leaving as much. "Good call Little Chick." Ren smiled at the name Dick had taken to calling her over the past few weeks.

"You could always go in on a house with us," Logan suggested.

"And be tied down? Forget it--a house is worse than a girlfriend."

"You're just bitter because Parker likes her men smarter than a peanut." Logan couldn't help but laugh at his sister's comment. He closed the trunk hatch and climbed into the driver's seat. Lauren hugged Dick quickly, then hopped in the passenger seat, and they were off. "Logan, what's wrong?" He shook his head; he didn't want to unload his problems on her. But she knew there was something on his mind. "Don't give me that; what's wrong?"

"I broke up with Parker." She didn't say anything, but instead just reached for his hand. A knowing glance passed between them before Logan shifted his focus back to the road, and Lauren looked out the window at the buildings passing by, softly singing along with the radio.


	4. Chapter 4

--Chapter 4: A Series of Fortunate Events--

"So when are you coming home?"

"I leave on Thursday--I mean school starts again on Monday, right?"

"Unfortunately . . . Did you have fun?"

"God this internship is amazing Mac. I'll be sad to leave."

"I have a confession to make."

"What's that?"

"I'm actually calling you on behalf of Parker. She won't leave me alone until I do."

"Why?"

"Well, apparently Logan has a sister no one knew about and he brought her back to Neptune to live with him. She's going crazy because first he was paying more attention to her than Parker, and then he broke up with Parker for being jealous of her. Parker wanted me to ask you to try to find out if she's for real, since you have all this amazing access to government records and all."

"Wow, a sister?"

"Yeah."

"What's the name?"

"Lauren Lester . . . and Parker said she's seventeen and has been living in Boston if that helps."

"Okay. I'll see what I can find."

"Thanks Veronica."

"No problem Mackie."

"See you in a week or so then?"

"You bet."

---------

Veronica typed the name into the computer system along with the age and location Mac had given her. She came up with three possibilities: one was dead--that couldn't be her--one was African American--probably not her either. "Hmm . . . Lauren Margaret Lester." This last name had a tag on it that said she was recently discharged from the custody of the Department of Child and Family Services. "Bingo." She clicked on the link that told her where to get Lauren's paperwork.

Scouring the documents, Veronica was amazed. If Lauren was a fraud, she was a really good one. Comparing it to an autograph, Veronica found that Lynn's signature on the birth certificate and termination of parental rights seemed authentic. "This girl really is Logan's sister."

"Do you talk to yourself a lot Mars?"

"Oh, hey Jackson; I didn't hear you come in."

"What's that?" Her fellow intern nodded toward the computer screen.

"Just some research for a friend . . . he had a sister he never knew about living in Boston."

"You know you're not supposed to be using the database for things like that."

"What, are you gonna tell on me?" She didn't believe he would.

"Well, we've only got a few days left here," he sighed, "So I guess I can forget I saw you using it."

"Thanks Jackson." She went back to looking through the information on Lauren and found the placement reports . . . Then she found all the police reports.

---------

"Lauren Echolls?"

"Yeah, here," Lauren cautiously returned, slightly raising her hand. The class was suddenly buzzing about the new girl. Was she related to_ Logan_ Echolls?

"Why don't you come up front and introduce yourself to everyone?" Now Lauren remembered why she hated new schools. But she'd chosen this.

"Um, sure." Hesitantly, she rose from her seat--strategically located in the middle of the room so she didn't stand out--and made her way up to the front. _Come on Ren; you've done this before. It's not the end of the world._ "Hi. I'm Lauren--I go by Ren." She struggled not to let her South Boston accent slip out--it always seemed to surface when she was nervous. "I just moved here from Boston a couple of months ago to live with my brother Logan. Um, do you guys have any questions?" About fourteen of the twenty hands shot up.

It went on like this in the rest of her classes; she was glad it was only a half day. The last class had by far the most interesting--and prying--questions of all. "Are you Aaron's daughter or Lynn's?"

"If you're from Boston, how come you don't have an accent?"

"Why did you move here for your senior year?"

"You left all your friends behind for a brother you just met?" As much as she disliked it, she answered their questions--better now instead of seven million individual times. When she had finished, she looked at the teacher helplessly.

"Can I sit down now please?"

"Go ahead." Though it wasn't for long. The last bell rang, releasing the students for the day.

Lauren called a cab and headed out to Hearst College to meet Logan for lunch, like she'd promised. When she got there she sat down on the bench at the appointed meeting place. A guy approached her. " 'Scuse me, do you know what time it is?"

"Probably the time your watch says it is," she suggested, nodding to the timepiece on his wrist. Another guy who was in earshot started laughing.

"Wow that has got to be one of the worst attempts at starting a conversation I've ever heard." The first guy looked irked and walked away.

"So you think you could do better?" Lauren challenged.

"Absolutely," he replied. "Mind if I sit down?"

"Was that it, cuz that wasn't much better," she taunted.

"Not hardly; I'd just like to sit down."

"Go ahead." Well, this guy already had points for making her laugh.

"Do you play?" he asked indicating the guitar pick sewn onto her bag.

"Now that _was _much better . . . and yeah, sort of."

"Sort of?"

"I haven't actually had a guitar for a couple of years now; I lost mine."

"You _lost_ it?" He found it hard to believe someone would lose a guitar.

"Yeah, that kinda happens when your foster father smashes it against the wall."

"Ouch, I'm sorry."

"It was a long time ago--I'm saving up for a new one now . . . do you play?"

"When I can. Sometimes it's hard to find time between school and the radio show."

"And yet you still find time to chat up young girls waiting on benches around campus."

"Oh, I don't usually do this . . . and actually," he added, looking at his watch, "I have a class I have to get to. But it was nice to meet you. I'm Piz by the way." He held out his hand.

"Piz? I'm Ren." She placed her hand in his, and he held it for a second.

"Well, it was nice meeting you Ren--maybe I'll see you around sometime." With a final smile, he stood up and headed for class. It wasn't long before Logan and Dick walked up to meet her where she sat. She hugged her brother, then Dick.

---------

The three sat down together with their lunches. "How come you're not at school?" Dick asked.

"We had a half day," she explained. "And most of it was spent standing up in front of classes answering questions about myself."

"I bet," Logan agreed. "You're probably the most interesting new student Neptune High has had in a while."

"Oh, and I'm pretty sure half of my teachers already hate me because you're my brother . . . thanks."

"Yeah, sorry." Out of the corner of his eye, he saw someone walking toward their table.

"Hey," she said.

"Hey," Logan returned. He seemed a little surprised.

"Can I sit down?"

"Sure." She set her tray across from Lauren and sat in the empty chair.

"You must be Lauren."

"And you must be Veronica," Lauren countered, smiling. "But I go by Ren."

"It's nice to meet you Ren. Hey Dick, how was your summer?" She finally acknowledged the other person at the table.

"Fine Ronnie, yours?" Both boys were acting a bit standoffish--not as if they didn't want her there, but more like they were confused by how she was acting.

"Good; the FBI internship was amazing."

"So how did _you_ find out about me?" Lauren asked, genuinely curious.

"Oh, Parker is roommates with my friend Mac. Mac called me just before I was going to head home and told me all about her summer, including how Parker had told her about you." Veronica tried not to let on that she knew all about Lauren's past, but Lauren wasn't stupid.

"Parker wanted you to check me out didn't she?"

"Um, yeah," Veronica admitted. "But I told her you're real--either that or you're better at forging papers than the mafia." Ren laughed, and Veronica eased a little. "You have to understand, Parker's a little . . ."

"Paranoid?" Lauren finished.

"Yeah," Veronica laughed. The boys still didn't know what to make of this. Logan glanced at his watch.

"Crap, I have to get to class; Ren are you gonna be okay getting home?"

"I'm perfectly capable of calling a cab--how do you think I got out here?"

"I could give you a ride back if you want," Veronica offered. "I'm done for today."

"That would be cool, thanks." Logan shifted a nervous glance between the two girls but didn't have time to stick around. Lauren would be taken care of--that's all he cared about. He stood up, kissed his sister, grabbed his tray and headed for the door.

"Well, as much fun as it is to brag that I'm with two girls at once--I also have a class to go to." He stood up and nodded at Veronica. "Ronnie."

"Dick." She returned his nod.

"Little Chick, always a pleasure." He also kissed her on the cheek. "I'll see you Friday."

"Wait," Veronica started as soon as he was out of earshot. "You two aren't . . ."

"No!" Lauren assured. "Logan invited him over for pizza and movies."

"I thought he lived with you guys."

"Logan and I got our own apartment; I could only sleep on that couch for so long, and we weren't about to kick Dick out."

"Really? How many maids do you have?" She was only half serious.

"None--I'm teaching Logan to cook, clean, _and_ do laundry."

"_That _I would love to see," she laughed. "Shall we?" The two girls stood and took care of their trays. "Oh, I hope you don't mind; I have a quick errand I need to run."

"Hey, I'm just glad I don't have to pay for a ride home." Veronica led her through campus and up to Wallace's room. He answered almost immediately when she knocked.

"Hey Girl! how you been? How was the internship?"

"Really great--hey can I talk to you for a second?"

"Yeah, what's up?"

"Um . . ."

"Why don't I step around the corner?" Lauren took the hint.

"My roommate's in there anyway, why don't you go in and sit down--we'll take a walk." He stopped for a beat. "Who are you?"

"Ren." She didn't explain because she had a feeling Veronica would do that for her at some point.

"Hey Ren; I'm Wallace. Go ahead and make yourself at home."

"Thanks." She smiled and walked through the door as he held it open for her.

"Twice in one day?" She turned to find Piz sitting on his bed, guitar in hand.

"You?" _He's the roommate of Veronica's friend--what a small world_.

"Me. You know, if you wanted to see me that badly you could have given me your number."

"Well, with a name like _Piz_ you can hardly expect me to stay away." He laughed a little.

"I saw you with Logan Echolls." He suddenly got more serious. "I heard he broke up with Parker; was it because of you?"

"In a way," she sighed. He nodded in slight defeat and went back to playing.

"So why are you really here?" He said it with curiosity, not accusation.

"Veronica's giving me a ride home; she just wanted to stop and talk to Wallace about something."

"You know Veronica too?"

"Just met her today, actually, but I feel like I've known her for a while now--Logan talks about her all the time."

"And you're okay with that?"

"Well, yeah. He kinda still has a thing for her--probably always will."

"You're telling me that doesn't bother you at all."

"Why would it?" She was a little confused.

"Aren't you two together?" A light bulb went on and a disgusted look crossed her face.

"Eww, no--he's my brother." Piz's eyes went wide at this.

"Your _brother_?"

"Yeah."

"Oh." He was both stunned and relieved. In his mind he jumped off the bed and did a "touchdown" dance. Veronica entered the room, and snapped her fingers in front of his nose.

"Is this how we entertain guests?"

"Um, no, I was just . . ." he stumbled.

"Sure." She wasn't convinced. "Ren, we should probably get you home before Logan gets out of class, and I no longer have an excuse to see this _cleaning_ you speak of. Plus, I'm pretty sure he still has some of my clothes--unless he's given them to you, that is."

"Where would I put them, on my Barbie doll?" she said with a light-hearted smirk.

"You have Barbies? Did Logan give you his collection?"

"No, I stole them. Then I pulled all the heads off, and gave them back. Surprisingly, he didn't seem all that disturbed."

"Hmm. Maybe they reminded him too much of Parker." Veronica linked her arm in Ren's. The two laughed hysterically as they exited, and a look of fear and awe plastered itself across the boy's faces.

---------

She rolled over in bed and stared at the ceiling, unable to sleep. A heavy sigh from the other room told her Logan was still awake as well. "Logan?" she called toward her door, which was slightly cracked open.

"What do you need Ren?"

"I don't need anything, but if you're up, can we talk?"

"Yeah, come on over." She threw the covers off, grabbed one of her pillows and made her way to her brother's room. The carpet swished and the floor boards creaked a little beneath her bare feet. He propped himself up on one arm, lifted his blanket, and let her slip into bed next to him. "What's on your mind Babe?"

"Did you dump Parker because of me?"

"No," he said firmly. "I dumped Parker because she was getting too clingy. I never thought I'd say this, but I actually kind of miss the way Veronica would disappear for a couple of days. Did you know she took summer classes just so she'd have an excuse to stay in Neptune over the summer?"

"Really?"

"Yeah. Most of all though, she couldn't handle not being the only girl in my life--that always bothered me about her--I couldn't so much as give another girl directions to the library without Parker giving me the third degree about her. So when I brought you out here, I figured she would do the same thing, but she went a little overboard. It was about _her_, not you, okay?"

"Okay."

"Now try to get some sleep--you still have school in the morning." He kissed her forehead, laid his head down on the pillow, and reached for her hand. She waited for him to close his eyes first, but finally allowed herself to drift off.

---------


	5. Chapter 5

--Chapter 5: Fun Times at Neptune High—

-contains strong language-

Ren set her tray on the bright yellow table and slid down onto the bench seat. Then she pulled out a book to read while she ate. It wasn't that she particularly wanted to be alone--she just didn't know anyone yet. But it wasn't that she was starved for attention--she had plenty of fun with Logan. School was just something she had to get through before she could go home and feel truly accepted. This wasn't the first time she'd sat alone, and she didn't have any burning plans to make it the last time either. She was just looking forward to the fact that it was Friday, and after she left for the day, she wouldn't have to come back for two more. Just then, a perky blond girl in a green cheerleader's uniform sat down on the bench across from her. "Hey, what are you reading?"

"On Baile's Strand."

"What's that?" The girl was clueless.

"One of Yeats' masterpieces about the downfall of Cuchulainn."

"Uh-huh." She was clearly uninterested. "So, I was wondering if you wanted to join pep squad. I mean I know you're new, but I'm sure you'll fit right in here at Neptune. You are an Echolls after all."

"What's your name?" Ren asked, pretending to be interested.

"I'm Tiffany," she answered enthusiastically.

"Well, Tiffany, would you have come over here if my last name weren't Echolls?"

"I just thought that since your brother was so involved in school spirit, you might want to be too," she replied, sounding hurt.

"My brother was the son of an actor; a spoiled, rich boy who only participated because his friends did, and because he liked the freedom of having his lunch delivered instead of eating school food. And I think you'll find, Tiffany, that if you really checked, Logan did more to upset this school than support it." Tiffany stood up, ready to leave. "One more thing--though we have quite a bit in common, I'm not my brother. Please don't make that mistake again." Lauren went back to reading her book while Tiffany retreated to the comfort of the popular table. Ren could hear her talking, and in a way, she welcomed the comments they made.

"Did you hear her?"

"Oh my god, yeah."

"Well she got one thing right--she is _not_ like Logan _at all_."

"He was such a cool guy, how are they related?"

Ren smiled to herself and continued to eat and read until she had to go back to class.

---------

The adults in the Peanuts cartoons were more articulate than her Psychology teacher. Pens flew across the notebooks of her fellow students, but Ren simply stared off into space. She was half-listening; she'd heard all this before when Dr. Braeden O'Shea, the resident psychologist at Massachusetts General, had been called in during her visit there after Home #4. "Ms. Echolls, since you are so avidly paying attention, maybe you could define_ repression_ for us?" He thought he was being clever, but she called his bluff.

"The intentional forgetting of events or memories."

"And does it work?" He said it almost as if he were taunting her.

"Excuse me?" She straightened and looked him right in the eye.

"Is repression possible?"

"Complete repression? No." She shifted her gaze back to the emptiness of the air around her. "The memories just find new ways to manifest."

"Really? Can you show me where it says that in the book?"

"Not all truths are found in books."

"Confucius say: deeper truth found in the mind." She had been at this school for just two weeks and already she had an enemy--or rather, a group of them. It seemed that at this school, if you pissed off one of the rich kids, you pissed them all off. Trevor McMillan, Neptune High's resident jack-ass--the position she assumed Logan had held in his time based on stories--had made the comment. Ren hadn't done anything to Trevor, but she _had_ publicly humiliated his friend, Eric Meyers.

Eric was the son of Darren Meyers--one of Neptune's foremost real estate developers, who had emerged after Dick Casablancas went AWOL. Apparently, that made Eric fairly prestigious among his peers; though Ren was at a loss as to why. Eric also thought this made him more important than other students. He had tried to invoke this importance in the hall one day near Lauren's locker. A clearly shy girl had been walking down the hall, her nose in a book, and accidentally bumped into him. He hadn't just commented--he'd taken her book from her hands, thrown it on the ground, and loudly berated her.

The girl had stooped to pick up her book in silence, and Eric had started walking away when Lauren stepped in. "Hey, I think you owe her an apology."

"What did you say?"

"I said, get your ass back here and apologize to her." Ren's South Boston accent had come through strong, and she hadn't tried to stop it--it made her sound more contentious.

"Do you know who I am?"

"I don't give a flyin' fuck who you think you are--this girl's a human being and deserves to be treated like one; now get your ass back here and apologize to her." That hadn't gone over well, and the nearby teacher stepping in and forcing Eric to apologize hadn't helped.

Now as she listened to the laughter of the class, a part of her didn't really care what he said. But another part realized that Trevor had probably never experienced anything he truly wanted to forget--and for that, she pitied him.

---------

She put her Calculus book back into her locker and pulled out her Spanish book. She didn't have homework, but Spanish wasn't exactly her best subject, and sadly, Neptune High didn't offer Irish, which she already had some experience with at the bar back in Boston. "Hi." Ren closed her locker door to find an unsure looking girl standing there--it was the same girl she'd defended in the hallway.

"Hi."

"Lauren right? I'm Chelsea. I just wanted to say that it was cool how you stood up to Eric like that."

"Yeah, and thanks . . . Y'know, this is the only school I've been to where rich kids blatantly torture others because they're bored. And believe me, I've seen a few--I've moved around a lot.

"Yeah." She looked pleased. "You know, I've moved a lot too; I'm an army brat. I've only really been here in Neptune for a couple of years, and this is the longest my family's ever stayed in one place." Lauren smiled at Chelsea--there was potential here.

"You don't happen to be taking Spanish?"

"I'm in Spanish 2."

"Do you think you could help me? There's not really a need for Spanish in Boston, so my school there didn't offer it. Of course we were also horribly under-funded and probably just couldn't afford a teacher for it."

"I'd be glad to help," Chelsea smiled. "Um, Monday after school? I'll meet you here."

"Sure . . . and thank you."

"No problem . . . See ya."

Lauren made her way toward the door to see Veronica walking up to meet her.

"Hey there stranger--wanna ride?"

"Hey Veronica," Ren replied, confused. "What are you doing here?"

"I was driving past on my way home and thought I'd save you the humiliation of having to ride the bus as a senior."

"It's not really all that humiliating, but sure--I'd love a ride." Together they walked out to Veronica's car and got in.

A few miles and one stimulating conversation about the joys of going to school at Neptune High later, Veronica pulled into the parking lot of Logan's and Lauren's apartment building. "You wanna come up for a little while?" Ren offered. "I'm sure Logan would love to see you."

"What makes you so sure?"

"Well, for starters, when I got here--I knew more about you than I did Parker." Veronica looked surprised. "If he hadn't outright told me that he and Parker were together, I would have assumed he was with you."

"I guess it wouldn't hurt to come up for a minute."

Ren opened the unlocked door and yelled into the seemingly empty apartment. "Logan?"

"Yeah, I'm here," he called back from his room. Poking his head out, he asked, "How was school?"

"It was school," she replied smartly. "Look what followed me home; can I keep her?" Veronica stepped inside the door.

"Oh, hey Veronica." He came out of his room and started for the kitchen.

"Hey Logan." They still seemed a bit awkward--like both wanted to see each other, but didn't know what to say.

"Veronica?" Ren ventured. "What are you doing for dinner?"

"Probably ordering Chinese--my dad's out of town. Why?"

"Do you wanna stay? Logan's cooking," Lauren enticed.

"I don't believe you," Veronica said simply. "That boy couldn't even make himself a bowl of cereal." Logan perked up at this.

"Well, I'm just going to have to prove you wrong then, aren't I?" He reached for a skillet and the ground beef that was in the refrigerator. Ren hopped up on the counter to supervise while Veronica sat down on a stool at the counter.

After the meal, they all sat looking at their empty plates. "Okay Sis, I cooked, so you do dishes."

"I have homework." She stood up and put her plate in the sink. "But I'll wash 'em as soon as I'm done--promise." She ran into her room and closed the door all but a crack. There was no way Lauren wasn't going to listen to them.

"Well, at least we don't have to worry about left-overs," Logan said as Veronica went to get herself a glass of water. "You're a veritable garbage disposal aren't you Sugarpuss?"

"There were two other people here, Snookums," she returned, reaching for a glass. Seeing her struggling, he stood up and pulled a glass down for her.

"Still working on that last couple of inches?" he asked sweetly, folding his arms and leaning against the counter.

"Still working on that personality?" she answered, just as sweet. They stood looking at each other for a minute. "You know, I might get a little taller if you let me water myself." She motioned to the sink that he was standing in front of.

"What if I like you the way you are?"

"Logan . . ." But he didn't let her finish--he just kissed her. He pulled away, hearing a door creak shut and a radio turn on. And was that Lauren laughing?


	6. Chapter 6

--Chapter 6: Ghosts of Boston--

Wallace answered when Veronica knocked on the door. "Hey Veronica, to what do I owe this unexpected, yet very welcome visit?"

"Actually, today, I'm a messenger."

"A messenger?"

"Yeah, is Piz in?"

"He's on his bed." Wallace gestured with his head and opened the door to let her in. Veronica approached Piz holding out a piece of paper.

"You hurt her, and I'll destroy you," she said, handing it to him. He accepted it with a stunned look both because of what Veronica said, and because she was giving him Ren's number without him having asked her for it. He fumbled over his words trying to thank her and assure her that he wouldn't, but nothing quite came out. She held up a hand to silence him and added. "I'm serious--she's been through enough." He was confused, but nodded and looked at the note--it was a phone number, directions to Neptune High School, and Veronica had written _She gets out around 2:45_. She headed back toward the door. "I'll see you for lunch Wallace."

"You bet."

She turned and started for class, but ran into Parker on the way.

"Veronica . . . Wow, I guess I was wrong about today not getting any worse."

"Hey Parker . . . How are you doing?"

"I can't sleep; I can't eat; I don't even want to try thinking about school." She sounded really bitter. "God Veronica, I asked for your _help_. You're supposed to be my _friend_."

"Parker, I'm sorry, but Lauren's not faking."

"I'm not talking about that," she returned. "I'm talking about you sliding back into place the minute I was gone. I asked you if it was okay when I started dating Logan, but _you_ can't show _me_ the same courtesy.

"Parker, I'm not . . ."

"I don't even want to hear it Veronica. Thanks for being a friend." Her sarcasm stung a little--Veronica hadn't meant to hurt her. But there was nothing she could do about it now. She could only hope that Parker would eventually get over it.

---------

He wasn't really sure where he was. He was completely out of his element and had never been here before. It seemed like forever since he'd pulled up in front of a high school. The last bell sounded, and the kids flooded out of the building. He got out of the car and leaned against it, waiting for her to emerge. The sea of faces seemed to blur together--how would he find her? But then there she was, talking to another girl her age who had brown hair.

"Hey Ren." She started at the sound of her name and looked up to find Piz.

"Hey." She was genuinely surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"Does it matter?" Chelsea asked, laughing.

"Thought maybe you'd like to go for a ride?" He looked a little nervous.

"Absolutely," she smiled.

"I'll see you tomorrow Ren," Chelsea giggled.

"See ya Chels."

"Bye Chels; it was nice to meet you," he started calling after her as she walked away. "I'm Piz by the way." Lauren rolled her eyes, grabbed his hand and started pulling him toward the car. It wasn't hard for her to guess which car was his--it was the only domestic brand one that had color. She smiled as he opened the door for her.

They sat on the hood of Piz's car drinking Slurpees and listening to the radio. "I love this song--I would really have loved to see these guys live, but they never came near me."

"I have the CD," Lauren mentioned. "I might be persuaded to let you borrow it."

"What's it gonna cost me?"

"Let me play your guitar a little . . . Deal?" She held out her right hand without thinking.

"Ouch," He grabbed her hand to look at the scar. "What happened?" She pulled her hand away as a memory of pain flashed in her mind. She closed her eyes and took a couple of deep breaths, running her thumb across the scar. "Ren?" he prompted, concerned. She opened her eyes again and looked at him.

"That's a _really_ long story."

"I don't have anywhere else to be."

"Look, I have more baggage than a DC-10, and I suppose you'll have to know sooner or later. I guess it might as well be now." She took another deep breath and turned to look straight at him. This was going to be hard. "I was adopted when I was born. Nate and Jesse were great parents. They always treated me more like an equal than a child. I was eight; we were coming home from a movie, and it was dark. I was sitting in the middle of the backseat--I always did that because I wanted to see both of them. We came around a curve and were hit head-on by a drunk driver. All I remember is hearing the tires squeal and suddenly, my parents were on either side of me. I passed out and woke up in the hospital a week later. I was hooked up to an IV and a feeding tube, and the only person there was my social worker, so I knew they were dead. Two days after that, I was released and placed immediately; that was Home #1. They were nice people I guess, but I acted out a lot. They ended up asking Gale to place me somewhere else--I was a little more than they bargained for. The only homes willing to take me after that were in Southie.

"Home #2 was the first scar." She turned her head and lifted her hair, revealing a two inch long jagged line. "The little girl they already had wasn't ready to share her house with another child. One day I was playing with one of her dolls, and she tried to pull it away from me. She finally gave up and pushed me. I hit the coffee table on the way down--twelve stitches. Normally that would be considered an accident, but that wasn't the first time it'd happened--just the first time it sent me to the hospital.

"A couple days later Gale moved me to Home #3. They yelled--a lot--and sometimes they stomped or hit things. It scared me, and there weren't any other kids to play with or talk to about it. The neighbor finally called the cops after they'd been yelling for so long they'd forgotten about everything. When the police showed up, they found me holed up in my room with nothing but a box of Cheerio's and a cup of water. I'd been there for two days.

"So it was on to Home #4. There were three of us there--another little girl and a boy. Molly had only taken us in for the government money and the tax write-offs. She used to go out almost every night. She would lock us in a closet so we wouldn't be in the way if she ended up bringing a guy home. One night I heard her get into an argument with one of the guys, and I picked the lock and opened the door just in time to get smashed in the face by an elbow. It broke my cheekbone. Before I blacked out from blood loss, I heard her say, 'See? You should've stayed in there.'

"In Home #5 there was an older girl. I remember being excited to have an older sister, but Bridget wasn't looking to be one. She used to sneak out when she was supposed to be babysitting me. The first time I told on her, she yelled at me and pushed me against a wall--my first concussion since the car accident. The last time I told on her, she taught me a lesson with her curling iron." Lauren slid the collar of her shirt to the right, exposing a burn scar just below her right shoulder. She let her shirt go and continued.

"There were two older boys in Home #6; Jeremy and Matt. Jeremy was a football player--really nice, really popular. And Matt was tired of living in Jeremy's shadow. Matt couldn't get a girl to do so much as look at him, but Jeremy was turning them away left and right. Matt would get grounded for being 15 minutes late, but Jeremy could stay out all night and not get in trouble. Most of all, Matt hated having to stay home with me after school while Jeremy was at practice. One day he decided he didn't want to virgin anymore, so he came after me. He broke my arm so I couldn't fight back. I was lucky Jeremy got out of practice early that day. He caught Matt and nearly beat him to a pulp. Then Jeremy took me to the hospital, and that was the last I saw of them. Jeremy and I wrote to each other for a little while afterward, but eventually he graduated and went off to college.

"I got really clumsy in Home #7--always falling down stairs, running into doors, tables, my foster father's fists. Gale drew the line when I ended up in the emergency room with two black eyes, a bloody nose, and internal bleeding in my stomach.

"In Home #8 it was just me and the new baby. Maureen was impossible to please, and Brennan was never there. When I refused to try out for the school play on top of watching the baby, homework, and work at the bar, Maureen got mad and locked me out of the house. So I called Gale, and that was the end of that place.

"Home #9 was Erin and Travis. Travis was from just outside Houston. What he was doing in South Boston, I'll never know, but he ran his household 'southern style' to use his words. He always wore a big belt buckle shaped like the state of Texas. And he used his belt instead of a switch, so now I have a scar on the back of my left calf that is vaguely shaped like Texas.

"Home #10 was a war zone. I got pretty good at dodging things after that--picture frames, ash trays, beer bottles." With each object she pointed to a different scar. "And then Home #11--the last one. Sara was sweet, and pretty, and smart. But she was also scared and weak. And Mark took advantage of that. They fought all the time, so I didn't think anything of it that day. He must've been in a mood because he was after me the minute I walked in the door. Sara tried to stop him, and he pushed her down the stairs. The coroner said she died almost immediately. But Mark wasn't done, so I ran to my room. He followed me, pushed me into the mirror, beat me, and then strangled me." She held out her right hand, palm up, and looked at the scar for a long moment. "So I grabbed a piece of the mirror and stabbed him in the throat." She looked on the edge of tears. Piz cautiously reached out and took her hand, pulling her attention to him.

"Is that supposed to dissuade me from wanting to see you?"

"It's to let you know what you'd be getting into." He lifted her hand to his face and kissed the scar. "What was that for?" She looked confused.

"Because it brought you here." He looked at her somberly for a second, then broke his gaze, as if something had just dawned on him. "Wait, you worked at a bar?"

"The police overlooked a lot in Southie. I was paid cash, so the government never knew I worked there. And it's funny, but most of the time, being at the bar was safer than being at home. It's the only thing I miss about Boston," she mused.

"Well, I can't take you to a bar, but would you be interested in going to a restaurant Friday night?" She smiled and nodded _yes_.


	7. Chapter 7

--Chapter 7: My Fair Lauren--

--The next couple of chapters are dedicated to lapdogdesign34; I was planning on this anyway, but I know you especially wanted to see certain events. I hope you like it.--

"Hello?"

"Veronica?"

"Yeah."

"It's Ren."

"Oh hey Ren, what's up?"

"Um, are you busy?"

"Not really . . . why?"

"I-uh, have a date with Piz tonight."

"So, what's the matter?"

"I've never actually been on a date before."

"Don't move; I'll be there in fifteen minutes."

---------

Lauren sat on her bed while Veronica tore her closet apart. She finally emerged with a plain black skirt and a light blue button up shirt. Then she opened a drawer and pulled out a silver camisole. "Put those on; I'll be right back." She went out into the living room to grab her bag just as Logan was walking in the door.

"Hey . . . What are you doing here?" he asked, suspiciously. She kissed him and then headed back toward Lauren's room before answering him.

"Ren has a date tonight."

"_What?_" But Veronica was already closing the door behind her.

"Are you sure about this shirt?" Ren stood looking at herself in the mirror.

"With your eyes? Absolutely," she replied, flipping up the cuffs of Lauren's sleeves. "Okay, come here." She sat Ren down, plugged in a flat iron, and started running a brush through her hair.

"Why do I need a straightener? My hair's already straight."

"You'll see." She immediately set to work, ironing, brushing, and pulling pieces of Ren's hair in different directions. When it was finished, Lauren looked at herself in the mirror.

"Wow." Her mouth turned up at one corner.

"I'm not done yet." Veronica opened her bag and pulled out a makeup kit.

"No," Ren protested, "I didn't even wear makeup to cover bruises." Veronica heaved a sigh, but didn't push it.

"Will you at least let me put some lip gloss on you?"

"Lip gloss, I can do," Ren acquiesced. Veronica smiled, took the lip gloss out of her kit, and put it on Ren.

"Okay, take a look." Lauren stood and moved in front of the mirror again. "Just a couple more things." Veronica pulled a silver necklace and bracelet out of her bag and started to put them around Ren's neck and wrist.

"No, Veronica, I couldn't . . ."

"They're just a loan," Veronica assured her. "At least, until someone buys you some of your own." She smiled at Ren's reflection. "Who knew you'd turn out to be such a hottie?"

"Thank you." Lauren almost looked like she might cry.

"Come on, he'll be here soon." Veronica opened the door and Ren followed her out. Logan looked up from his pacing as the girls entered the living room. For a moment he couldn't say anything, he was so stunned.

"No," he finally said, shaking his head. "You're not leaving this apartment." Both girls knew he wasn't entirely serious, even though he sounded like it. There was a knock on the door, and Veronica opened the door to let Piz in. Logan immediately objected when he entered. "You've got to be kidding." He didn't say anything else, he just walked into the other room.

"Logan!" Veronica called after him, then followed him into the room. Piz stumbled over a few words trying to think of something to say, but finally gave up.

"Do you wanna sit down for a minute?" Ren offered. He took a seat on the couch. "I'm gonna go try to talk to him real quick, okay?"

"I won't leave without you," Piz laughed nervously. Lauren entered her brother's room to hear Veronica yelling at him.

"She's seventeen Logan, and she's already lived through more than most twenty-five year olds. And he's a good guy; I think she's gonna be okay." They both noticed Ren walk in. Veronica gave her a look that said _He'll get over it_ and exited back out to the living room to sit with Piz.

"He's my age Ren." Logan looked at her almost as though that were a decade.

"He also knows about all the Homes in Boston." She looked him straight in the eye. "Look, I know that you want to protect me, and I appreciate that. There haven't been many people in my life like that. But you can't save me from everything; eventually you _are_ going to have to let me grow up."

"I just don't want you to get hurt." Now he looked like he was pleading with her.

"There is nothing he could do that would hurt me more than my life already has." Logan heaved a sigh, knowing he'd lost.

"I want you home by midnight," he said, giving in; Lauren smiled up at him, then hugged him tightly. "I love you."

"I love you too." Logan followed his sister back out to the living room; Piz stood as they entered. "Are you ready?" Ren asked him. Piz looked at Logan for the grudgingly given _Go ahead_ nod, then looked back at Ren and smiled.

---------

Lauren closed the door behind her and took a deep contented breath. She wasn't surprised to hear the door to Logan's room creak open, but she was surprised when it was Veronica, and not her brother, who came out. Veronica caught Ren's eyes and held a finger to her lips. Ren nodded and headed toward her bedroom, then changed into her pajamas. A few minutes later, she heard a faint knock on her door, and Veronica entered with two cups of cocoa. Lauren accepted one and the two sat down on her bed. "I'm almost afraid to ask, but how is it Logan wasn't sitting in front of the door waiting for me to come home?"

"You know that cell phone in your purse? That has a little chip in it that I showed him I could use to track you, which calmed him down a little. Then I kept him busy to keep his mind off you."

"I don't even wanna know," Ren laughed, holding up a hand to stop Veronica from divulging more information than she cared to find out.

"Well, I wanna know about your night--spill Sista." The two sipped their cocoa, talking and laughing well into the night. In the other room Logan woke. He pulled on a pair of pants and headed to the bathroom. On the way back, he stopped, hearing the girls's voices from beyond Ren's door.

"I don't know, I've just never been able to think about guys in that context. I've always been either running from them, or calling cabs for them because they're so drunk they can't stand on their own," Ren laughed.

"Nice to find a guy who's not going to hit you or grope you?"

"Exactly."

"Not a lot of those in Neptune. But then Piz isn't really from Neptune, so that probably helps."

"I think part of it is just being here y'know? Everything's falling into place--almost too well. It's like, any minute I'm going to wake up in Mass. Gen. or worse--the house with Sara and Mark."

"I don't want you to feel like I'm prying, but there's something I was wondering about."

"What's that?"

"Most of the houses you lived in were kinda far from Massachusetts General, weren't they?"

"Yeah--Gale used to have me transferred there whenever my injuries were big. That's where I was born; that's where I was taken after the car accident, and some of the staff know me. Not to mention that it was easier in terms of paperwork." Veronica nodded. "Y'know, Veronica I just wanted to say thank you--you've been _so_ nice to me, and I've never had that before."

"Let's just say I know what it's like to not have any friends."

"You? After all the wonderful stories I've heard about you at school?" Lauren's sarcasm was only meant in fun, and Veronica knew that. "Seriously though, people said you were really popular and then something about a murder and suddenly you weren't anymore." Veronica took a deep breath, remembering the pain of Lilly's death. "It's fine; I'm prying too much," Ren assured, backing off.

"No, it's okay. It's something you're going to find out about eventually. I'm just not sure whether you should hear it from me or Logan."

"It's up to you," Ren said, unassuming.

"Okay, you know what? Maybe it is better if you hear it from me. I mean, Lilly _was_ my best friend." A faint smile crossed her face. "She was great . . . And she would've loved you. She was a--a free spirit; she loved breaking the mold . . . That's probably why she ended up having that thing with Aaron."

"Wait, like, my _father_, Aaron?" This information threw Ren a little.

"Yeah. She and Logan had been dating on and off for a while. But they were off, and Lilly was . . . Lilly. Long and painful story short, Lilly was murdered, and my dad thought her dad did it. When he was proven wrong, everyone in Neptune rallied against him, and we were ostracized. So I lost my best friend and everyone else that I thought was my friend."

"I'm sorry."

"That's life right?" Veronica heaved a sigh. "You know, that's why he so protective of you. He gets the same way about me."

"I've never really had anyone like that before either. I mean, the closest thing I ever had to a real big brother was Jeremy, and he wasn't really around a lot. It's weird--good weird--but weird." Veronica reached for Ren's hand.

"He just cares about you, and he wants to make sure nothing like that ever happens again."

Outside Lauren's door, Logan winced when he heard Veronica talk about Lilly, but then smiled, liking the fact that Veronica knew him so well--and that she was being so good to Ren. He looked at the closed door, then went back to his own room.


	8. Chapter 8

--Chapter 8: Crime and Nourishment--

Lauren picked at her food. "What's the matter Ren?" Logan asked, concerned. "Do you want something else?"

"It's fine."

"Lauren." She looked up at her brother. "What's on your mind?"

"Veronica told me about Lilly the other night."

"I know," Logan acknowledged, dropping his eyes to his food, not dwelling on the topic. He wasn't mad at Veronica for telling Ren, he just thought that Ren had enough painful memories; she didn't need any more. "You need to eat."

"Logan." She sought her brother's eyes, and finally caught them as he looked up at her across the table. "Tell me about our parents." It was a request, not a command. He put down his fork and took a deep breath.

"What do you want to know?"

"What were they like? Lynn said Aaron was violent; what did he do? Veronica said that Aaron had an affair with Lilly; how did that happen?" She seemed almost helpless. "They're my parents--even if they didn't raise me--and I have no idea who they were."

"Dad beat me for as long as I can remember. Sometimes it was things like breaking my nose when I spilled a drink in the backseat of the car, but mostly it was just the belt. He used to let me choose--make me choose--which belt to use. He was weird though, anything would set him off. One minute he'd be fine, and the next he was yelling and hitting. He never laid a hand on Mom or Trina though. Mostly I think he was angry that his career was ending. He was becoming a has-been. And it wasn't just Lilly that he slept with--there were a lot of others. But Lilly was the only one I really cared about, and the only one who threatened to blackmail him. So he killed her, and then he tried to kill Veronica when she found out. He got away with it too; the jury found him not guilty. It didn't matter though, because someone ended up shooting him in his hotel room the night of our end of the year party."

He paused for a moment, and Ren could see his mind working, playing through memories--probably beatings, fights, and things he'd seen, the way hers did. "Mom was gorgeous; she was funny and smart. And I never knew why she put up with it. I mean, she had money of her own--she could have left him at any time. Maybe she was scared of losing me. Eventually it all got to be too much I guess, and she jumped off the Coronodo Bridge. They never found her body." Ren looked at him empathetically. "Now will you eat, before I have to warm it back up for you?" She didn't ask any more questions, she just picked up her fork and finished the food on her plate.

---------

Chelsea sat down across from Ren at their usual table with her lunch. "So you never told me, how'd it go with that guy the other day?"

"Good," she answered. "I really like him."

"Well, he's cute, and he's older--which is always a plus," Chelsea laughed. "How did you even meet him?"

"We started talking randomly when I went to meet Logan at Hearst for lunch one day."

"I should be so lucky," she mused back.

"One of these days Chels, you're gonna get swept off your feet and leave me in the dust." Lauren smiled at her friend as a French fry landed with a _thwack_ on the lunch tray in front of her.

"Cute," she commented, moving the fry over to one side. _Thwack, thwack, thwack_--three more fell in succession. She looked past Chelsea to see the culprits, laughing away.

"Let it go Ren," Chelsea begged her as she stood up.

"No; those jackasses need to be thrown off their pedestals, and if I'm the only one willing to do it, fine." She made her way over to the table that unofficially belonged to the 09ers and held of of the fries up in front of them. "How old are you?"

"About the same age as Lilly Kane was when your dad killed her." Eric Meyers was looking for a fight with Lauren, but probably not the one he was going to get.

"Pog mo thón." She nearly snarled at him through her teeth.

"What?" he laughed.

"Kiss . . . my . . . ass," she translated.

"Wait, your dad _slept_ with Lilly too didn't, he?" She briefly closed her eyes and took a deep breath. He thought he was winning, so he stood, squaring his shoulders right in front of her. "Is that why your mom committed suicide?"

That was the last straw for Lauren. She shook her head, made a fist and threw it into the underside of his jaw, hitting the soft spot just beneath his chin. He dropped to the ground almost instantly. Amidst a small commotion, she was escorted to Principal Van Clemmons' office.

"Have a seat Ms. Echolls." He indicated a chair in front of his desk. "Would you like to tell me what happened?"

"Would I be here if you didn't already know what happened?"

"I mean, would you like to tell me your version of the events?" He already knew this girl was going to be a handful--probably just like her brother.

"Eric wanted to fight, so I punched him--it's not rocket science."

"How do you know he wanted to fight?"

"Where I come from, you don't stand in front of someone with your chest all puffed up and insult their parents 'less you're askin' ta get hit." She slipped into her Southie accent inadvertently.

"Well, this is not Boston Ms. Echolls."

"No kidding," she smarted back.

"And I'm afraid I'm going to have to punish you for this. Seeing as how it's your first offense, I will be a little easier this time.

"Is he getting punished for threatening me?"

"Yes; he's getting his Pirate Points taken away."

"Ooh--that's harsh." _Yep, just like her brother_, he thought, _Sarcasm and all._

"Since you have no Pirate Points, you can take a detention after school today where you will write a letter to your brother explaining how you need a better role model in your life."

"When I'm done, can I shove it up your . . ."

"Or," he interrupted before she could finish, "You may take one week's worth of visits to our school counselor." She made a disgusted face at the suggestion. "I'll be recommending you for the latter."

---------

"Lauren, I can't help you if you won't let me."

"You can't help me anyway."

"What makes you say that?"

"You can't change my childhood."

"Principal Van Clemmons said you felt threatened by Eric. Was that because by teasing you, he represented everyone who tormented you as a child?"

"Wow . . . you spent way too much getting that degree of yours."

"Do you find that lashing out at others helps you to deal with the aggression you were exposed to when you were younger?

"Do you always ask stupid questions like that? Look, the guy insulted my family, I felt threatened by his body language, and I taught him not to mess with me anymore. End of story."

"Why don't you want to talk about your childhood?"

"Because you couldn't possibly understand what it was like, and I don't want your sympathy. Besides, I told you, you can't change it, so why dwell on it?"

"Some people find it helpful to talk through things."

"Why? To help them get over it? People always say that, but those people never had memories that gave them nightmares so real they could smell them, or experiences so painful that old scars ache just thinking about them. People who say that talking about it helps, don't understand that talking about it only pulls at the stitches. The only thing that helps me is forgetting about it--being able to act like a normal kid. If you want to know about someone's issues, why don't you ask Tiffany Green why she throws up in the bathroom everyday after 3rd period, or ask Eric why he does everything everyone ever tells him to, or ask Trevor McMillan why he needs to be accepted so badly that he berates other kids just to make himself feel better."

"We're not talking about them; we're talking about you."

"Are we done?"

"Are you going to talk to me?"

"No."

"Alright; you can go."

---------

Principal Van Clemmons approached Lauren at her locker at the end of the day. "Ms. Echolls, may I have a word?"

"Didn't Logan already give you 'anthropomorphic'? Fine, you can have 'vociferous' too, but I draw the line at 'pertinacious'." A slightly annoyed look came over his face. "Look, Mr. Clemmons," she started, seriously, "I appreciate that you want to help, but sending me to the school shrink is not gonna fix my problems. And believe me, he may be the best thing that's happened so far in my life, but I'm _not_ exactly like my brother. Nor do I want to be. It was one incident, and if you'd been there, I'm sure you'd agree that he deserved it."

"Off the record, I don't doubt that he _did_ deserve it. But from now on, try to settle your arguments with words--at least while you're on school property, okay?"

"Okay," she smiled.

"Now, I'm going to allow you to discontinue your visits to Rebecca, but if it happens again, I'm going to have to suspend you. Do you understand?"

"Yes sir." He nodded to her and headed back on his way. Chelsea saw him leaving and met her friend on her way out the door.

"Hey, what did Van Clemmons want?"

"Nothing--he just let me know that I don't have to go to counseling anymore."

"You're free?!"

"I'm free," Ren affirmed.

"Awesome; that means you can go to shopping with me. Dad's got this military ball thing coming up, and I need a dress." Chelsea linked her arm in Ren's and the two headed for Chelsea's car.

Logan was waiting for Ren as the girls walked into the apartment. "I just got off the phone with Principal Van Clemmons." _Uh-oh_.

"You know what? I'll see you at school tomorrow Ren." Chelsea nodded to her friend, and then turned to Logan. "Nice to see you again Logan."

"She'll call you later Chels," he assured.

"So you're not going to kill the only friend I have in the world then?"

"That would mean I'd have to kill my favorite relative, so . . . no." Chelsea nodded to him and left. Lauren turned to face her brother. She looked at him plainly--she'd never had an opportunity to develop a "kicked puppy" look.

"So you're really not gonna kill me?"

"What and punish you when I'm the most proud of you?" He put his arm around his sister.

"You're proud of me for punching someone?"

"Absolutely--it means two things: one, I don't have to worry _quite_ so much about you, and two, a little of Veronica has rubbed off on you. Neither of those is so bad." She smiled up at him and leaned into a hug. "But, I did tell Van Clemmons I would punish you . . ."

"Why couldn't you have just left the moment alone?" she groaned.

"So, you and Piz are coming to dinner with me and Veronica tonight."

"You couldn't ground me instead?"

"Ah--but you see, that would be too easy." He kissed the top of her head. "Besides, Veronica's already on her way here with Piz. Go drop your stuff in your room."


	9. Chapter 9

--Chapter 9: Gangs of Neptune--

--I apologize to those of you who expected to see the double date, but I figured that the four of them would all get together again at some point later when Piz has proven himself to Logan. Plus, I think we've seen Lauren in enough pain for a little while eh?--

Logan was out with Veronica, so Lauren had the apartment to herself. She reheated some leftover pizza and turned on the TV, settling on the Discovery Channel--it was a "Mythbusters" marathon. She heard what could have been a knock on the door; it was two raps, spaced out so it didn't just sound like something hitting the door. She got up to check. Looking through the peephole, she saw a dirty, disheveled looking person. _So it _was _a knock_. Cautiously, she opened the door a crack. The figure turned to look at her and through the dirt and blood covering his face, she recognized him. "Dick?"

"Little Chick . . . Is Logan here?" He was obviously in pain.

"No, he's out with Veronica, but you get in here," she commanded, gently taking his arm and leading him to the couch. She laid hid down with a throw pillow under his head and said, "Don't move." She rushed to the bathroom and tore through the cabinets, grabbing washcloths, Neosporin, peroxide and the whole box of bandages. Dick was just as she'd left him when she brought everything back out to the living room. Another quick run into the kitchen and she came back with a bowl of warm water.

As carefully as if he were a baby, she washed off the dirt and blood that was caked onto his face, revealing several deep cuts on his jaw and forehead. "What happened, Dick?" she asked when his mouth was clear. She'd grabbed a pair of scissors from the kitchen drawer and now started cutting his T-shirt off to get to the wounds on his chest and sides.

"I went out to the PCH," he explained painfully. "I was just gonna get some E for a party tonight."

"So what went wrong?" she asked sympathetically.

"I don't know," he winced. "I gave 'em the money, they gave me the stuff, then someone hit me from behind. Before I knew it there were guys everywhere-- I couldn't see any of their faces, I . . ."

"Shh; don't worry about it," she soothed. He was as cleaned and patched up as she would be able to get him. "Is your car outside?"

"Yeah."

"Okay--I have to get you to the hospital; you're gonna need stitches for some of these. Where are you keys?"

"Right pocket."

"All right," she said, reaching into his pocket and pulling them out. "I'm gonna pull it as close to the door as possible--don't move; I'll be right back." She briefly reached for his hand, and he squeezed it in return. Then as fast as she could, she pulled on a pair of shoes and ran outside to find Dick's car.

Following the signs to the hospital, she pulled into the parking lot near the Emergency entrance. She ran around to the passenger side, opened the door, and allowed Dick--wrapped loosely in a blanket--to lean on her as she guided him into the ambulance bay doors.

She got him to the reception desk and told the clerk as much information as she could, as fast as possible. "And does he have insurance?"

"Look lady, the guy is standing here bleeding--he's _already_ lost a lot of blood--I think you should be asking whether or not he's going to _live_ first." Dick leaned harder on her shoulder, and she knew he was fading fast. "Now, I don't see that many people here, so I'm just gonna take him through that door there, and you can bring the paperwork and stuff in when he's no longer bleeding all over me."

"Um, all right." Ren had caught the woman off-guard, but it had worked. There was a person in scrubs with a wheelchair waiting for them when Ren all but dragged Dick through the door marked _Triage One_. They got him into an exam room and immediately started cleaning and stitching him up.

"I'd like to keep him overnight to make sure there are no complications from his injuries--will you be staying with him?" Dick squeezed her hand and didn't let go.

"Yeah." She squeezed his hand back.

"All right, I just need to find a room for him. It may take a little while. And you may just want to go back out to reception and finish up with Pam," he smiled. Ren nodded as he left.

"Okay Dick, I'm gonna do that, and then give Logan a quick call.

"But you coming back?"

"I'm not going anywhere."

---------

"This had better be good."

"What, did I interrupt you having sex or something?"

" . . ."

"Oh . . . well, um, I'm at the hospital."

"_What?!_ Are you okay?!"

"I'm fine, but Dick's a little the worse for wear. You may want to put some clothes on and come down here."

"What happened?"

"I'm not really sure. He showed up at our door bleeding and barely able to stand. He said something about drugs and PHC--whatever that is?"

"PCH?"

"Yeah, that's it."

"Geez."

"Anyway, they're keeping Dick overnight, but they haven't gotten him a room yet. I'm gonna stay with him, but I'm pretty sure he'd like to at least see you."

"Yeah, okay . . . we'll be there soon."

---------

"Where are we gonna be soon?" Veronica asked.

"The hospital . . . something happened to Dick." He pulled on a pair of pants and a T-shirt. "You don't have to go--you can stay here and sleep if you want."

"You honestly think I'd stay here?" She got up and got dressed as fast as she could. He smiled and took her hand as they walked out the door.

Ren was sitting next to the bed holding Dick's hand when they walked into his hospital room. "Hey man, how're you feeling?" Logan asked him.

"I've definitely been better." Keith Mars walked in through the door.

"Hey Dick," he said slightly sympathetically. "Veronica called me and said I should come over here--you wanna tell me what happened?"

"I'm not gonna get in trouble if I tell you the truth, am I?"

"Normally, I revel getting two birds with one stone, but under the circumstances--I'll let you slide."

"Well, I was down at the PCH--I was supposed to be buying some E for a party." He seemed ashamed by this. "But before the deal was finished, I was jumped from behind. When I woke up, there were a couple of the PCHers on the ground near me--they were beat up too. I didn't stick around to find out if they saw who hit us."

"Who were you buying from?"

"I don't know--he rode a black bike with an orange lightning bolt--it kinda reminded me of a Gatorade bottle."

"Okay." Keith turned to Ren. "You must be Lauren--it's nice to meet you. I'm Keith Mars, Veronica's father."

"Hi." She smiled and shook his hand. He looked at Dick's wounds a little closer.

"The doctor's said you patched him up a bit before you brought him in?"

"Yeah. I know a little about bandaging cuts."

"So I'm told," he mentioned. "You did a good job." He kissed Veronica on the head. "Well, I have to get back to the station with this information. I'll see you all later."

The mood in the room was somber after Keith left. Ren was a little worried--this was the first time she'd really seen Dick be this serious. He'd gotten beaten up once while she and Logan were living with him, but that was for talking to the wrong guy's girlfriend. And he'd been his usual sarcastic self through the whole ordeal.

"Is there anything we can do for you Dick?" Veronica had never seen Dick like this either--even when Cassidy had died.

"Some water?"

"Sure; I'll be right back." Veronica turned toward the door, and Logan followed her.

"Thanks for staying Little Chick."

"Hey, you're kinda like a big brother to me too. I mean, when I first got here, you didn't have to be nice to me."

"Yeah I did--if I was mean to you, Logan would never have forgiven me," he laughed a little painfully. "Besides, you turned out to be not so bad."

"You're really not so bad either Big Guy."

---------

"Veronica, Logan told you to stay away from this." Lauren followed just behind her down the dock.

"I know what Logan said, but nothing's going to happen. I just want to see if there are any clues to who did this." She crouched down next to the blood stains on the ground.

"Haven't the police already been here?"

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean anything. This is the PCH; a lot goes down here that doesn't get followed up on."

"Boy, I know how that goes." Ren lowered herself next to Veronica. "What's that?" She pointed to what looked like a small piece of silver. Veronica picked it up and looked at it hard.

"Well, it's definitely metal . . . It almost looks like a crown," she marveled.

"Let me see," Ren said, intrigued. Veronica held it in front of her, and Ren took it from her. "That's a piece of a Claddagh."

"A what?"

"A Claddagh. It's an Irish symbol, usually given by a Sweetheart or a family member. Like this." She held up her hand so Veronica could see the ring on her right forefinger."

"Oh,_ that's_ what that is?"

"Yeah--Danny gave me mine on my fourteenth birthday. He said, 'Ma wanted me to give this to my daughter--and you're more of a daughter than I'm ever gonna have, Little One.'" She smiled down at it. "It was the best birthday present I ever got."

"Wait, so if that's part of an _Irish_ ring, that means . . ."

"It's mine." The girls whirled around to find Liam Fitzpatrick standing there. "Veronica . . . didn't think you'd be stupid enough to cross me again."

"Look Liam, we were just leaving." Veronica stood and pulled at Ren's sleeve.

"Of course you were." He hooked his thumbs in his belt loops. "Only you weren't really going anywhere--not with that piece of my ring."

"We won't tell anyone Liam, just please, let us go." Veronica was really nervous, almost begging him.

"Who's your friend Veronica?"

"No one, really." She started trembling.

"Lauren." Ren stood up and answered him. Veronica gave her a panicked glance. _Why did you do that?_

"Well, not so bright are we Lauren?"

"How d'ya figure?" She stood firm--she'd dealt with bigger, scarier people than him.

"If you were smart, you wouldn't have gotten involved with Veronica here. She has a talent for getting into trouble."

"Maybe I'm here ta make sure she doesn't get inta trouble. Didja think of that?" She invoked her Southie accent on purpose, trying to sound tough.

"Well, then you're not doing a very good job."

"It's Liam, right?" She lifted her chin a little. "Well, Liam, you're not doin' a very good job of tryin' ta scare me."

"Oh no?" He took a step forward and grabbed Veronica's arm, but Lauren stepped in between them and pushed him back.

"Titim gan eiri ort." She set her jaw and stood her ground.

"Those are strong words for a little girl." He seemed a little surprised both by what she'd said, and by the fact that she'd said it. Without blinking or dropping her eyes, she pulled a knife from her pocket, flipped it open, and held it between them.

"Not as little as you think." He backed away with his hands up. "Now we're not gonna say anything, cuz you're gonna let us go. The PCHers have already been implicated for this, and since we found that piece of you're Claddagh and not the police--I'd say unless you left some blood here, you're clear. So you're gonna get outta here, and you're not gonna scare Veronica anymore. An dtuigeann tú?"

He didn't say anything; he just turned around and left. Veronica looked at Lauren in awe. "What did you say to him?"

"I cursed him. That was Gaelic--a little something I picked up at the bar. It means 'may you fall without rising' or basically, 'drop dead'."

"Well, you grew up across the country, and you're still just like you're brother."

"What?"

"Always gotta come to my rescue."

"You're welcome," Ren smiled knowingly, and the two headed back toward Veronica's car.

---------


	10. Chapter 10

--Chapter 10: Of Cookies and Couples--

--To all my faithful readers: I'm sorry this took so long--school's been crazy. So please bear with me for the next couple of weeks, and I promise to keep the updates coming--

She plopped an egg into the bowl with the rest of the ingredients already there. A little vanilla, some baking soda, and a cup and a half of flour and she was in business. The mixer whirred, folding all the elements into one homogeneous mixture of tan goo. Veronica walked in the door just as Lauren started dropping little balls of dough onto a cookie sheet. "You bake too?"

"Yeah . . . there's just something therapeutic about it--all these things you put into it don't really taste good by themselves, but together they make something no one can resist. And you think you have control over the process--I mean, you control what goes in--but if you change one step, even by accident, they come out a little different. Each batch tends to have its own personality."

"Wow . . . no one else ever understood it like that before--they just thought I liked giving them to people--which I do, but the process isn't for them."

"Exactly," Ren smiled. "So what's up?"

"Just finished work at the library and was hoping to run into your brother." Veronica grabbed one of the cookies that were already finished and sat down on a stool at the counter.

"Well, I haven't heard from him since we left the house this morning. He did mention something about Dick though--they might be doing something together." Veronica nodded--it seemed like a viable explanation.

"You don't mind if I hang out, do you?" Ren gave her a look that said _you're kidding, right?_

"Please . . . if I minded you being here, you _wouldn't_ be here." Veronica smiled at her, as the door opened.

"You know that handy mobile device that you keep in your pocket? You're supposed to answer that when it rings," Veronica commented without turning around. Since there was no knock, the person coming in must have been Logan.

"I did," Piz replied. "And now I'm here."

"Oh, you're not who I was expecting," she said, doing an about-face and seeing her mistake.

"But he_ is _who _I_ was expecting," Ren countered. Piz walked into the kitchen, grabbed a cookie, kissed Lauren on the cheek and sat down on a stool next to Veronica.

"Ren said she was baking, so how could I stay away?" He and Ren exchanged a smile.

"No chance you ran into Logan at school today is there?"

"Nope," he said through a mouthful of cookie.

"How many times did you call him?" Ren asked, opening the oven and putting the full cookie sheet inside.

"Four--the first time it rang, but the last three it went straight to voicemail, like he turned it off."

"Hmm." Lauren furrowed her brow, wiped her hands on a towel, then reached for her phone. She found her bother's number and hit the send button. Just like Veronica had said, it went straight to voicemail. "Logan Malcolm, call me or Veronica as soon as you get this . . . apparently you got some 'splainin' to do."

"Logan's middle name is Malcolm?" Piz laughed.

"Honey, your name is Stosh Isaac Piznarski." He immediately sobered as Lauren reminded him he had no reason to laugh at Logan.

"Hey, I can't help that my parents hated me."

"They didn't hate you," she said, placing a hand on his arm. "They just didn't realize that someday you'd be_ leaving_ your small town where names like that are okay." Ren searched through her phone again and pressed the send button.

"Yeah," came the voice at the other end.

"Is Logan with you?"

"Yeah he's right here," Dick answered. "Logan, it's the Little Chick." Logan accepted the phone from him.

"Hey Ren, what's going on?"

"What are you up to?"

"Why?"

"Why don't you want to answer me?"

"Why you want to know?"

"Why do you need to know why I want to know?" Veronica shook her head and sighed, understanding that, based on Ren's side of the conversation, Logan and Dick were probably up to no good. Piz gave up trying to understand and ate another cookie.

"Can I talk to him?" Veronica asked. Ren obliged, handing her the phone. "Where are you? And why is your phone off?"

"Oh, hey Veronica; the battery died--I need to recharge it tonight."

"You didn't answer my first question."

"We're out at the beach--we were just on our way back."

"Okay, see you soon then." She hung up the phone and handed it back to Ren.

"So where is he?"

"He said he's at the beach, and his phone died. Why do I not believe him?"

"Because it's Logan and Dick," Ren rationalized. "Logan wasn't exactly forthcoming when _I_ asked him where he was, which tells me that he's probably doing something he shouldn't be doing."

"I'm sure everything's fine Baby." Piz stood up, wiped some flour off Ren's face, kissed her cheek again and grabbed another cookie.

---------

"Well, we almost escaped that one."

"They know something's up?"

"If I know my girls, they do--they probably have no idea _what_, but they know _something's_ going on."

"This is gonna be harder than we thought."

"Yeah, can I leave all this at your place? . . . Just 'til I can talk to Veronica."

"Yeah Dude, no problem, but you may want to do that like, now."

"I can't just yet--they're together. But I'm supposed to be hanging out with her later tonight."

"Just be careful Dude--you know how she can get."

"Dick, she doesn't really have fangs, put your fingers down."

---------

Ren put the last tray of cookie dough balls into the oven. "So did your dad ever find out who was selling to Dick the other day?"

"Yeah," Veronica answered as Ren put the dirty dishes into a sink full of warm, soapy water and washed the flour from her hands and arms. "It was a kid named Emilio Martinez--second in command. Apparently, I've been out of the loop for too long because I didn't even know the PCHers had switched leaders again."

"Who are the PCHers?" asked Piz, still stuffing his face with cookies.

"They're a biker gang, but the members are high school students," she replied. She looked down at the counter, and then back at Piz. "How many of those have you eaten?"

"You better slow down there; you're gonna get a stomach ache if you're not careful," Lauren warned, pulling a glass down from the cupboard and getting the milk out of the refrigerator.

"Yeah, vacuum much?" Veronica laughed. Piz looked slightly ashamed.

"At least I know they're good," Ren smiled, setting the glass of milk down in front of him. He took a drink and put an arm around her.

Logan and Dick walked in the door to a trio of suspicious looks. "Your hair's not wet," Lauren observed.

"What are you Veronica?" Dick asked. "Ooh, cookies!" His attention was so easily swayed, the girls couldn't help but laugh.

"My hair's also a lot shorter than yours, and therefore dries faster," Logan responded, kissing his sister on the cheek. Then he made his way over to Veronica and kissed her.

"I don't believe you either," Veronica taunted. Logan kissed her again, lingering for a moment.

"Hey now, you don't see us doing that in front of you," Ren objected.

"Let's keep it that way, shall we?" Logan replied. "It's bad enough you're dating at all."

"Logan, shut up; she could do a lot worse," Veronica put in, shifting her gaze to Dick as he inhaled cookie after cookie. Dick finally noticed everyone staring at him and looked up at the group.

"What?" Crumbs dribbled down the front of his face and shirt.

"And you guys thought I was bad," Piz noted.

"Another four dozen bite the dust," Veronica said.

"Well, as much as I love being ridiculed, it's Friday--and _that_ means it's club night," Dick said after swallowing. He grabbed six more cookies and kissed Lauren on the cheek. "Thanks, Little Chick." Then he headed out the door.

"We have somewhere to be." Logan grabbed Veronica's hand and she shrugged at Ren as he pulled her out the door. When they were out of earshot, Logan explained the situation to Veronica. "I couldn't tell you on the phone . . . I love you, but I couldn't chance you tipping Lauren off at all."

"Why can't Ren know?"

"She just can't, okay? Now come on, unless I'm mistaken, I promised you dinner."

"You want something to eat?" Ren asked. Piz looked at her for a second.

"Did you not just see me eat all those cookies?"

"I meant real food . . . Besides, the guys in Boston'd eat that many cookies and still have room for half a pizza."

"Is that a challenge?"

"I'm just saying . . ." she shrugged.

---------

Logan stopped, and pulled Veronica to him just outside the door. "So do you think she's gonna like it?"

"I think she'll love it," she answered. She closed her eyes, losing herself in the kiss that followed. She pulled away and smiled up at him; she liked the way he'd changed. He was more responsible, more focused, and she somehow had the feeling that he now kept less from her. He was finally growing up--who'd have thought it would take actually being a quasi-parent to make it happen. He quickly kissed her again, then reached for the doorknob. Two steps inside and he froze, mortified by what he saw.

"Hand check!" Veronica called out.

"Oh God!" Piz jumped about five feet in the air, holding up his hands. "Um--we--we weren't . . ." Ren sat up and winced. Logan started to say something, but never got it out--Veronica pulled him back to the bedroom.

"I can honestly say this is a first for me--I've never had my brother catch me making out before." Lauren closed her eyes and shook her head, a pained look still on her face.

"He's going to kill me now isn't he?" The color had drained from Piz's face.

"He's _not_ going to kill you."

"Yes he is," he nodded. She placed a finger beneath his chin and turned his head to face her.

"I won't let him." He smiled and kissed her.

"Still--I should probably go."

"Okay," she sighed. They stood up, and she walked him to the door.

"Oh." He suddenly remembered something, looked at his watch, and kissed her once more. "Happy Birthday, Baby."

---------


	11. Chapter 11

--Chapter 11: Eighteen Candles--

Lauren shot up and nearly fell out of bed. What she'd thought had been a nightmare actually turned out to be the smoke alarm, burning itself into her brain. "What the fuck?!" She threw open her bedroom door and coughed as the smoke tried to invade her lungs. Waving a hand in front of her face, she cleared the air enough to see Logan running around the kitchen with a dish towel, expletives flying from his mouth like he'd grown up in her neighborhood. She peeked around the corner to find Veronica, calmly sitting on a stool at the counter, sipping at a mug of coffee, and nibbling on a piece of bacon. "What the hell happened in here?"

"He wouldn't let me help," Veronica said, rolling her eyes. Ren grabbed a chair to stand on and pulled at the smoke detector's case, spilling the wiry guts. Then she pulled out the battery, silencing the alarm, and preventing the explosion of everyone's eardrums. "He was doing good 'til he put the pancakes on . . . multitasking just isn't for all people." Ren looked at the stove where her brother was carving a circular piece of carbon out of a frying pan. "At least he did the bacon first," Veronica added, finishing the piece she had and grabbing another.

Without a word Lauren grabbed bowls for everyone and the box of Frosted Flakes from the cupboard. "Wait," Logan protested. "I can fix it . . . Just give me a minute."

"Honey, you've killed enough pans for one morning."

Grudgingly, he sat down and poured a bowl of cereal for himself.

"Why are killing pans anyway?" Ren asked.

"I wanted to surprise you with breakfast on your birthday."

"That's sweet, but really not necessary . . . It's just another day."

"What do you mean it's just another day?"

"I haven't celebrated since I was eight . . . Why start again now?"

"Because now, you're legal," Veronica put in, raising her eyebrows. Logan glared at her. "What? She is."

"Don't give her any ideas please."

"Says the guy who hasn't been a virgin since . . ." She didn't get the chance to finish--Logan's hand shot across her mouth.

"That's okay--I really don't need to know . . . It's bad enough I can hear you guys every so often." What can only be described as embarrassment with a large side of guilt and a topping of shock crossed their faces, turning them the deepest shade of vermilion Lauren had ever seen, and making her erupt with laughter.

"I knew I should have checked that before we moved in."

"I didn't know Parker was a moaner," Veronica commented.

"Screamer, actually," Ren corrected with a smirk as she stood up, kissed her brother on the cheek and headed for her bedroom to get ready for school. Veronica stood, shot him a glare, turned on her heel and made a bee-line for the bedroom. Logan winced as he heard the door slam. For a long minute he sat staring at his piece of perfectly cooked bacon, and all he could think was _Shit_.

---------

Ren already had the books she needed for the first few hours of school, so she didn't get to her locker until lunch time. When she opened the door, she found herself staring at a box of "Her Pleasure" Trojans. One, which had been blown up like a balloon and taped to the top of the box, had a smilie face drawn on the tip. There was a small note attached that read _Happy Birthday Little Chick. Be Safe! Love Dick._ _P.S. Don't tell Logan._ "Ms. Echolls," came a voice from behind her, and she went so white she would have glowed in the dark.

"Yeah Mr. Clemmons?" she asked, not having the courage to turn and face him.

"Is there a reason you have a jubilant prophylactic in your locker?"

"Um . . . Yes sir," she winced. "It's name is Dick Casablancas."

"Right; carry on." He nodded, turned and left without needing any more of an explanation. She grabbed the books she'd come for and shut her locker as quickly as she could, hoping that no one else had noticed. She looked to the left and to the right, and then hurried out to the patio, sitting at her usual table. Chelsea plopped down across from her.

"You let Dick into my locker this morning didn't you?" Lauren accused.

"Yeah, why?" Chelsea seemed confused.

"_What_ would possess you to _do_ that?"

"He said he wanted to put your birthday present in there for you."

"Oh he did."

"By the way--not telling your best friend that your birthday's coming up, is just down right mean. I wanted to get you something too . . . What did Dick give you?"

"Humiliation, shame, and a little mortification."

"Seriously," Chelsea laughed. "What did he leave in there?"

"I'll show you later."

Chelsea met Ren at her locker at the end of the day. She nearly passed out from laughing when Ren opened the door. "Okay, okay, just help me get rid of it will you?"

"Hang on," Chelsea managed between giggles. She dug through her own locker and found a plastic grocery bag. Then she went into the bathroom and grabbed a long strip of paper towel. Together the girls wrapped the box in the paper towel, placed it in the grocery bag, and tied it tight. Ren threw it in the dumpster as they passed it on their way out the door. Piz was standing outside, and Tiffany was talking to him.

"So, you're like, in college?"

"Yeah," Piz answered curtly--like he was trying to ignore her.

"Well, you know, we're having a party tonight out at Dog Beach. I could give you my number if you wanna come."

Ren rolled her eyes at just how shameless Tiffany could be sometimes. Piz finally noticed her and walked away while Tiffany was in the middle of a sentence. He headed straight to Ren and kissed her, holding it long enough to make sure Tiffany saw. And she did see, walking away in a huff. "Hey," he said, pulling away.

"Hey," she smiled back.

"Feel like going for a walk?"

"Definitely."

---------

"You're _sure_ she's not gonna come home early?"

"I told you--Piz has it covered. I specifically told him not to bring her back here before six."

"Now, Dick and I are going to go pick it up, and you're staying here to get things set, right?"

"That's the plan."

"Where do you think we should put it?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, once we have it, where's a good place to hide it?"

"You haven't found a place yet?"

"No."

"Men."

"What?"

"Nevermind . . . You know what? Just leave it out in the open. She's never seen it before; she'll have no idea what it is."

"See? This is why I keep you around."

"Well, that and without me Lauren would end up with a store-bought birthday cake."

---------

Veronica was putting the last candle in the cake as Lauren and Piz walked in the door. "Surprise!" Chelsea yelled. She ran up to Ren with a tiara and placed it on her friend's head.

"What is this?" Ren looked around the room. Logan, Veronica, Chelsea, Wallace, and Mac each wore a cone shaped hat held on with elastic--Dick wore two.

Ren laughed at Dick, "I knew he was hiding his horns somewhere."

"He tried to get one around his waist, but the elastic broke," Chelsea said.

"We couldn't let you have an eighteenth birthday without a party," Veronica said, giving Lauren a hug. "Besides, it gave me a reason to bake." She winked, and she and Lauren shared a knowing look.

"I thought we'd seen the last of you after Parker stormed out when you guys picked up her stuff," Ren said greeting Mac.

"Well, Veronica and I have been friends a lot longer than Parker and I have," she shrugged. "And who can say no to chocolate cake?"

Lauren thanked her for coming, then headed over to her brother, and he kissed her on the cheek. "I didn't get you in too much trouble this morning, did I?" she asked.

"That's okay," he replied. "A little drama always did make it more fun." He waggled his eyebrows, and she gave him a slightly disgusted look.

"Eww."

"Hey, are we gonna eat this cake or look at it?" Dick asked. Ren smiled and headed over to the counter. Everyone else gathered around, and Dick pulled out a lighter.

"Um," Veronica objected. "I'll take that, thanks." She took the lighter from him and lit the candles.

"Please don't sing," Ren begged them.

"Oh, all right," Piz conceded, wrapping an arm around her. "But you better cut that cake fast then." Ren grabbed a knife out of the drawer, then pulled the cake closer.

"Is this leaning a little to the left?" Ren asked, furrowing her brow.

"It's supposed to be like that," Veronica quickly corrected.

As everyone finished their cake, Logan took Ren's plate from her. "Okay go," he said to Dick. Then he put his hands over her eyes and spun her around while Dick grabbed a sign from the closet and ran outside.

"What are you doing?" Lauren asked, pulling at Logan's hands. He finally released her.

"Tada!" Veronica called out.

"The window?" Lauren asked, confused. Then she saw Dick run up next to a car with a sign that said _Happy Birthday_. A moment later, a look of understanding crossed her face, and her jaw dropped. "You . . .That's . . ."

"Yep," Logan confirmed, kissing the top of her head. Then he dropped the keys into her hand.

---------


	12. Chapter 12

--Chapter 12: After the Sunburn--

--Sorry it took so long to get this chapter out. I'm done w/ school for the summer, so from now until school starts again, I'll try to get chapters out as soon as possible. Thanks for reading—I appreciate all of you!--

He finished up the radio show and walked out of the studio to find her sitting on the couch. "Hey there stranger."

"Hey Baby, what are you doing here?" Piz answered, moving to greet his girlfriend properly.

"I brought you a present," Ren said, holding up a paper bag. He opened it to find nearly a dozen snickerdoodles inside.

"What's wrong?" He sat down and put an arm around her.

"What do you mean?"

"You told me about how baking is therapeutic . . . So what's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Don't give me that," he replied, not believing her.

"Just a minor altercation at school today."

"Again?"

"With Tiffany," she finished.

"Tiffany . . ." he repeated, trying to remember. "The annoying cheerleader?"

"The very same," she confirmed. "I had to defend your honor."

"Well, as long as it was for a good cause." He smiled and kissed her. "Wait . . . How did you get here?"

She held up her keys and shook them. "Someone was stupid enough to put me behind the wheel. I can't stay though; Logan's getting me up at the butt-crack of dawn to go surfing."

"Surfing?"

"Yeah, apparently it's a_ crime_ that I've never been before." She wasn't too enthusiastic about it; but it was important to Logan, so she was willing to try it.

---------

"You know, I'm beginning to think giving your girlfriend a key to your place wasn't such a good idea." Logan, Dick and Lauren entered the apartment to find Veronica on the couch waiting for them.

"You know, technically, I still have a key to your place, Dick," she responded.

"It's a flattering offer Ronnie, but I'd like to keep these awesomely good looks in tact. And something tells me that messing around with you might change that."

"You laugh now, but just wait 'til you wake up with one eyebrow," Ren taunted. She headed back to her room and attempted to take off her shirt. "Ow. Veronica?" she winced and called into the other room. "Can you help me a minute?"

Doing as she was asked, Veronica made her way back to Ren's room and began carefully pulling Ren's shirt over her head. "Ooh, Honey."

"What?"

"Um . . ."

"What?"

"Let's just say there's a reason I don't go surfing."

"What?!" Ren was getting impatient.

"You know what? Don't move--I'll be right back . . . And whatever you do, don't try to lie down."

"Veronica," Ren called after her as she sped back out toward the door. The boys were still out in the living room when Veronica rushed in to grab her bag. Stopping for a minute, she hit Logan on the arm.

"Ow, what was that for?"

"She comes from a place where it's cold most of the year; she's paler than me! And you didn't think to get her some sunscreen?!"

"Oh crap."

"_Oh crap_ is right. I'm going for some aloe--don't let her look in the mirror."

"_SHIT_!"

"Too late," Dick declared.

---------

She sucked a breath in through her teeth against the searing. "Maybe you'll get lucky, and it'll just turn into a tan." Lauren was face down on the couch in her bathing suit top while Veronica spread a thick layer of aloe on her back and shoulders.

"You know, I've never gotten sunburn before--not anywhere other than my face anyway."

"You never went to the beach out there?"

"I was usually too busy working or, y'know . . . hiding bruises."

"Wow, Little Chick, if you weren't the color of a tomato and she weren't my best friend's girlfriend, this might be really hot."

"You're lucky I can't move," Ren snarled.

Veronica glared at him. "Okay, I think it's time for the men-folk to go make amends . . . She's gonna need ice cream and a new movie--preferably a chick flick."

"Wow, why don't you just ask for some tampons while you're at it?" Logan commented.

"Start moving or I just might," Veronica shot back. With a worried look Logan quickly grabbed his keys and pulled Dick toward the door.

"At least it's the weekend," Dick managed before he disappeared through the doorway.

"You don't have to do that," Ren said after they heard the car engine start outside. "It's official, I approve of you dating my brother--you don't have to try to make me to like you anymore."

"Are you kidding? I couldn't leave you to the mercy of those two."

Lauren suddenly sobered. "You read my DCF files didn't you? When Parker asked you to check up on me."

"I read enough to know you are who you say you are. Why do you ask?"

"Parker was always asking me questions--you don't."

"I have to admit, I'm usually a snoop, but I like the way Logan is now that you're in his life. So what you want to tell me is your business." She stood up and went to wash her hands at the sink. "I have to get going soon; did you want me to call Piz?"

"If you don't mind . . . I'm kind of out of commission."

---------

"I can't believe you went over there Mac!"

"Veronica asked me to go . . . And it's not like Lauren has many friends."

"It's not like she _needs_ friends now--she's got Logan wrapped around her little finger."

"Parker, are you just mad that he's not wrapped around _your_ little finger?"

"I'm mad that she mysteriously appears out of nowhere, and suddenly he has no time for me."

"It's been over a month, Parker."

"And then Veronica just slides back into her old spot."

"Are you even listening to me?"

"You weren't there Mac--she's a self-centered little bitch."

"Hey pot, meet kettle."

---------

"Ow!"

"Sorry."

"Honey, make no mistake--if you don't stop touching me, I _will_ un-man you."

"I just want to help."

"Seriously, stop helping."

"Is there anything I can do?" He was just so pitiful.

"Sit where I can see you." Piz sat down next to the couch and lightly ran a finger through her hair. "Talk to me," Lauren requested.

"You really want to open that can of worms?"

But she didn't care that he had a tendency to ramble. "I need to not think about the pain."

He didn't ask anymore questions; he immediately launched into a story about going to the beach when he was little. "And I had sand where sand shouldn't be, so apparently, I just dropped trou right there in front of everyone."

"Well hopefully you can keep your pants on now," Logan ventured, walking in the door. "And if you find you're having problems with that, I've got a staple gun that can help." Piz turned about seven shades of red as Logan dropped a DVD next to the couch.

"Didn't know which kind you wanted Little Chick," Dick called from the kitchen. "So we got you 'my brothers are my heroes' and 'that time of the month'." He held up pints of Superman and Rocky Road, respectively, before putting them in the freezer.

"Alright, we're heading out," Logan said. "I know she doesn't really have a shirt on, but try to behave, huh?"

"Yeah, no gettin' your freak on," Dick added, pointing a finger at the two across the room.

Piz just blinked, unsure of how to react to that statement. Logan and Dick left, and Piz regained his composure.

"I will never get used to this 'protective big brother' thing."

"I'm pretty sure it's just because it's me."

"And why would you think that?"

"Well, Veronica and I kinda had a _thing_ a little while back . . ."

"So that's why she's a little standoffish around you," Ren mused.

"Did I hear him say _brothers_? As in plural?" At this point, Ren was used to the fact that Piz was a little slow to catch on to some things.

"Yeah, it's easier for Dick to think of me as a little sister--it keeps him from hitting on me. Plus, he's a testament to the fact that you can't pick your family."

He chuckled a little. "So which are you feeling in the mood for?"

"I think--even though they're the reason I'm like this--I'm gonna have to say that my brothers are my heroes." He went into the kitchen, grabbed the pint of Superman and a spoon, and sat back down on the floor next to her. Then he pulled the top off the ice cream and held out a spoonful for her. "Y'know some days, you're my hero too." He smiled and kissed her. "I didn't say _today_," she laughed. "I said _some days_."


	13. Chapter 13

--Chapter 13: Face Offs--

--I'm_ so_ sorry this chapter has taken so long; I've been in Chicago the past week, and my sister had my computer. And I know that the brevity of this hardly makes up for taking so long, but I promise to have chapter fourteen done by the end of this coming week--

"Aw come on! That was _so_ hooking! Where the hell are you ref?!" Lauren sat on the couch wearing a Boston Bruins jersey, yelling at the TV.

"We do have neighbors, y'know." Logan was in the kitchen, doing dishes. Ren gave him a dirty look that he couldn't see with his back turned to her. Veronica walked in the door, and stopped for a second. She couldn't help thinking the scene before her should have been opposite of what it was.

"Hey Ren."

"Shh!" Veronica was surprised; she walked over to Logan at the sink and kissed him, still up to his elbows in suds.

"Y'know, as her only parental figure, I think it's up to you to tell her that sitting that close to the TV will ruin her eyes."

"No, that's the _mommy's_ job."

"Well, you don't see me doing the housework," she shot back at him. "Now make me a turkey pot pie!" She was kidding of course, and he just rolled his eyes at her.

"Just pass it already! Oh, what was that?! You call tripping on us, but you ignore his cross-checking?!"

"She does know the little men in the TV can't hear her, right?"

"I'm beginning to wonder," he replied, pulling the plug out of the sink and drying his hands. "I'm definitely regretting not paying extra for that dishwasher." He nodded toward Lauren, her face about two inches from the television screen. "She hasn't moved in almost two hours . . . And I haven't seen her blink once." They both turned and leaned against the counter, watching her in the other room.

"Will you two shut up? We're tied with thirty seconds left in the third period."

"And by _we_, she means?" Veronica asked, confused.

"Whatever team plays hockey for Boston."

"MacDonald! Where's your head? That net's not gonna block itself!"

"Should we leave her and the TV alone for a few minutes?

"YES!!" Ren screamed, jumping up from the couch and running around the room. "Bruins win! Bruins win!" She did a couple of circuits, then stopped in front of her brother. "We won!" She jumped into the arms of a very surprised Logan. Thrown off-guard though he was, he caught her.

"So we can stop worrying the neighbors are gonna get us kicked out?" he asked, laughing.

"Yes," she answered calmly and satisfied as he let her down.

"Well, if you're quite finished with your victory lap," Veronica interrupted, laughing, "we should really get going."

"Get going where?" Ren asked.

"I'm keeping Veronica company on a stake out." Logan seemed proud of the fact.

"You sure that 'st' shouldn't be replaced with an 'm'?" Veronica could only laugh and roll her eyes at Ren's comment. Ren laughed herself, then kissed her brother on the cheek. "Go; have fun; don't be home too late."

"You gonna be okay?" Logan asked her, returning her kiss.

"Oh, you know, I'm just gonna have some bikers over, maybe knock a few back . . ." She couldn't help it; Logan was such an easy mark--his astonished face giving away his gullibility. "Chelsea's coming over to help me study for Spanish," she amended. Then she all but pushed them toward the door, only to find Chelsea standing there when she opened it.

"Hey Logan; hey Veronica."

"Hey Chels." Logan seemed somewhat surprised to actually see her. "You weren't lying," he said to Ren.

"No Logan, I'm not you." She smiled sweetly at her brother as he and Veronica headed out to the parking lot.

---------

"Ko-mo tee yahmis?"

"Boy, you really do suck at this."

"What is it this time?"

"You got the phrase right, but your pronunciation is horrible."

"Then how _do_ you say it smarty pants?"

"¿Cómo te llamas?"

"Well, I lived in Irish neighborhoods, and worked in an Irish bar; I never thought I'd ever fucking need Spanish."

"Language, Ren. It's amazing you don't have more detentions under your belt with that mouth of yours."

"Sorry Chels. Y'know, you wouldn't be able to handle living where I come from--every other word is the F-bomb . . . Even in school."

"And they let you get away with it?"

"Well, if they gave detention to everyone who used it, almost the entire school would end up in detention--and half the teachers too."

"Geez."

"Hey, I need a break. How do you feel about ice cream?"

"I'm very strongly for it--this Spanish is muy aburrido."

"Awesome . . . Amy's okay?"

"Sounds good to me."

---------

Lauren watched with slight disgust as Logan slid a hand up Veronica's shirt; then she knocked on the window. It startled the two figures laying in the backseat and they quickly sat up. Ren gave her brother a sly smile as he rolled the window down. "How's the m . . . I mean _stake_ out going?"

"What are you doing here?" he asked, turning red.

"Could ask you the same thing," Chelsea laughed.

"We really don't need any comments from the peanut gallery Chels, thanks."

"We're on a study break Logan; what's you're excuse?" Ren asked, defending her friend. "Hey Veronica." Ren smiled genuinely over her brother's shoulder at his significant other. Veronica pursed her lips in embarrassment and lifted a hand, waving.

"I guess we're even now, right?" Logan asked.

"Yep," Ren laughed, taking another lick of her ice cream cone and turning around to leave. Logan rolled the window back up and breathed a heavy sigh.

"So, where were we?"

"I was just getting my camera put together because in just a few minutes, a man who's cheating on his wife of fourteen years will be coming around that corner."

"Well, then we still have a few minutes."

"Logan, my dad needs this."

"Alright," he sighed. "I don't want to piss him off any more than I already have." He sat back and put an arm around her. Then he laced his fingers in hers and lifted her hand to kiss it. This was the Logan she remembered; and yet, at the same time it was a Logan she'd never seen before. Yes, she definitely liked Ren's influence on him. He'd always been sweet, but now he was more responsible, more conscientious, more thoughtful. They should have found Lauren years ago.

---------


	14. Chapter 14

--Chapter 14: To Catch an Echolls--

"Hey this is Logan with today's inspirational message: If no one did silly things, nothing intelligent would ever get done. Ludwig Wittgenstein."

"Logan Malcolm, call me back." That was all she needed to say before hanging up the phone; Even if he didn't know the sound of her voice, Ren was the only person who used Logan's middle name on a regular basis. She took another step toward the door, terrified of what she'd find inside. But Dick needed her--or at least, he needed someone. It was clear to her now that he'd probably only called her because Logan wasn't picking up his phone. From through the door, she heard shouts egging someone on. _Uh-oh Dick; what did you get yourself into this time?_ _What the hell is this place anyway?_ She took a step inside and almost immediately her fear melted. She felt like she was back in Boston. _A _pub_? Why is Dick at a pub, and why did he sound so scared?_ Her eyes quickly scanned the room and found Dick being held against a wall with a pool cue beneath his neck.

"Someone want to tell me why a bunch of Micks are doing hanging around a place named for something out of Greek mythology?" All heads turned to look at her as she shouted in her Southie accent. "Or does one of you want to shed some light on why I had to skip my lunch to come down here and rescue my brother's friend?"

"No; Little Chick, I said get _Logan_," Dick managed to choke out. Ren's eyes fell on Liam Fitzpatrick.

"You," Lauren accused, recognizing him standing next to his cousin Declan--the one pinning Dick.

"Lauren," Liam answered familiarly. "I didn't think we were gonna see you down this way ever again."

"Didn't think I was gonna _need_ to come down this way again." She squared off and lifted her chin a little. "Let him go."

"Look Honey, we got no problems with you."

"Well, Boyo, that's the thing--if you have problems with Dick, then you _do_ have problems with me."

Danny laughed. "What d'you think you're gonna be able to do against five of us Sweetheart?" A couple of the others laughed, but Liam knew better.

"Tell you what?" Ren offered. "I'll play you for him." She reached for an unused pool cue. "Any one of you; one game of eight ball. If I win, we go free of whatever debt he might owe you."

"And if I win?" Brennan asked, indicating that she would be playing against him.

"What d'ya think Liam?" she asked, aware that Liam was more than likely in charge of this menagerie.

"Brennan wins, and you pay back the money he owes us, plus interest."

"What kind of interest?"

"We'll see when it comes to that." Liam flashed her a sly smile, but she was unfazed; he still didn't realize that, even surrounded by men twice her size, he couldn't scare her.

"Alright, your break." She looked at Brennan, who smiled and grabbed the cue from Declan's hand. Dick fell to his knees, then struggled to stand again. His face was bright purple from the lack of oxygen, and it was clear that he would end up with a black eye. It was more annoying to Lauren than anything. _I just got his face fixed._ As much as she wanted to go to Dick and see if he was okay, she knew it was more important for her to keep her resolve. She stood looking at him for just a second. Then she tapped the end of her cue on the ground, and turned to the table where Brennan was racking the balls.

The blue--scuffed cue ball flew into the saffron One ball heading the triangle. A small crash, and the group scattered; the orange striped Thirteen fell into the pocket to Lauren's right, giving Brennan another shot. The Fifteen and the Twelve followed their brother, but the others were reluctant. Ren lined up her first shot carefully, deciding on the Four because if she made it, the cue ball would then be perfectly aligned to take out the Seven. Number after number bit the dust; seeing each angle in her mind, Ren ran the table. "That pocket," she called, pointing to a chasm at the opposite end of the table."

"Sure," Brennan scoffed, obviously annoyed with the fact that a girl half his age was beating him in a game he'd been practicing at since he was nine. A long moment and a large exhale later, the ebony sphere dropped out of sight into the pocket Ren had indicated.

As soon as it happened, Ren almost wished she could take it back. Brennan's eyes flashed, he threw his cue to the ground, and lunged for her. She'd seen his muscles flex, and she shifted to one side at the last minute. But his right hand caught her arm and whipped her back around; his left grabbed her belt, and he threw her onto the pool table face-down, sending the remaining balls running; she felt her bottom lip split. She pushed against the table with her hands, but it only helped him flip her over to face him. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Dick pushing with everything he had to get to her, but she knew it would do him no good. Danny and Declan held him fast, and with a hard punch to his stomach, they dropped him to the ground. She dug her nails into Brennan's arm and kicked her legs, trying to get his hand off her throat. She wouldn't let this happen again. He yelled in pain as blood trickled down his arm and he switched his grip to pin her wrists down next to her ears.

Through struggling breaths, she screamed, "No!" She threw her legs up, hooked her left foot under Brennan's right arm, and pushed his shoulder back, breaking his hold on her left arm. She pushed herself to a sitting position and punched him in the throat. She pulled her right hand free and hopped down from the table. Sliding a leg behind his foot and pushing with all her might on his chest, he fell flat onto his back. She grabbed his beer bottle from the adjacent table and smashed the end of it, leaving a crown of deadly brown shards. She dropped to her knees, pinning his arms beneath her legs, and held the makeshift shiv to his cheek just below his right eye. "Fuck you." Still breathing hard, she looked up to find Liam staring at her, surprised. "Are you jackasses done? Or does he have to lose an eye?"

Liam nodded, realizing he'd been defeated. "Let him go," he said over his shoulder. Danny and Declan relinquished their hold on Dick, who stood up coughing a little. Ren turned her eyes back to Brennan, nearly shuddering beneath her despite his age and size. Dick limped over to where Lauren sat on Brennan's chest and touched her shoulder. She didn't even seem to notice he was there anymore. He knelt down next to her, took the bottle out of her hand, and wrapped an arm around her, helping her stand.

"You're even now." It was a statement, not a question, and Liam would honor it. If nothing else, this little girl had proven herself to him.

They hadn't taken two steps out the door when a siren blipped and a car pulled up near them. A dark haired man dressed in a deputy uniform stepped out. "Lauren Echolls?"

"Yeah." Ren was a little confused.

"You have a right to remain silent; anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law."

"Are you kidding?"

"I'm afraid not ma'am. You have the right to an attorney; if you cannot afford a lawyer, one will be appointed to you." Ren heaved a sigh and looked at Dick.

"Well, do you know a good lawyer?"

"I know a lawyer," he responded, with a pained look on his face.

---------

"I never thought I'd be walking through that door without handcuffs on," Logan commented as he and Veronica made their way into the station and to the front desk.

"Hey Leo," Veronica opened.

"Hey Veronica," he returned. "What can I do for you?"

"We're here for Lauren Echolls."

"She's in cell one." He gestured back toward the holding cells, then accepted Veronica's bag that she held out to him, knowing she couldn't take it back with her.

Logan followed Veronica back to find his sister sitting on a metal bunk bed behind a wall of iron bars. "You okay Ren?"

"Yeah," she answered, trying to hide her lip. Dick emerged with Cliff and Leo in tow.

"Good news Sweetheart," Cliff announced. "Brennan Fitzpatrick decided not to press charges, and the judge agrees that it was self defense."

"Thanks Cliff." Leo moved to unlock the door.

"Wait, Fitzpatrick? What were you doing around a Fitzpatrick?" Logan questioned sternly.

"Nothing," she covered, glancing at Dick. "I just had to take care of something, but we're fine now."

"Dude, it was my fault," Dick admitted. "I didn't exactly tell you everything about that night I woke up on the pier after having my ass handed to me."

"What didn't you tell me?" Logan was more than irked at this point.

"I wasn't buying from a PCHer; and I didn't have all the money to pay Conner Fitzpatrick. I told Little Chick to get you, but she came down there herself." His voice sped up, trying to get in as much detail as he could before Logan totally lost it. "You should have seen her; she . . ." Too late. Logan shoved Dick backwards.

"You know what she came from!" Logan yelled.

"Logan, stop it." Veronica stepped in between the two boys, but Ren pulled her out of the way. Logan ignored her and continued hurling insults and accusations at Dick.

"You're gonna get hurt; let me," she quickly whispered before stepping in front of her brother and yelling his name up at his face. It snapped his attention down to the girl whose auburn colored head crowned just below his chin. "It's okay. It's over now." Her eyes begged him to stop, and he melted. He reached a hand up and gently thumbed the dark line where the blood from her lip had clotted.

"I promised I wasn't going to let that happen to you again."

"This had nothing to do with you. _I_ chose to go get Dick. _Me_." Logan wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly.

"By the way V," Cliff whispered to Veronica, "Now you owe me one."

"You got it Cliffy," she smiled.

---------

"Hello?"

"Hey."

"Did you call to apologize?"

"Apologize for what Piz?"

"You stood me up Ren."

"I didn't stand you up, I was . . ."

"You were what?"

". . . In jail."

"_What?_"

"I had a little run-in with the Fitzpatricks--it's nothing."

"If it's the same Fitzpatricks that Veronica told me about then it's not nothing."

"I'm fine Piz."

"You went to _jail_ and nobody told me?!"

"It's not a big deal--Cliff got me off on self defense."

"Self defense? What happened?"

"A game of pool with Brennan Fitzpatrick got a little out of hand."

"Why were you playing pool with Brennan Fitzpatrick? Why were you even _around_ a Fitzpatrick?"

"I had to go help Dick."

"You had to help Dick?"

"That's what I said."

"Why did you have to help Dick?"

"Because he needed help; now are you done? Or do you want my mother's maiden name and my first born child too?"

"You don't have to be rude--I'm just worried about you Lauren."

"Well, don't be _Stosh_. I can take care of myself. I've been taking care of myself since I was ten years old.

"Baby, don't be like that."

_CLICK_

---------


	15. Chapter 15

--Chapter 15: The Departed--

--It is with the deepest apologies that I give you this, the last chapter of this story. My life is just getting too complicated to keep it going. Many thanks to all who have read it and continue to read it and especially to those who have given me meaningful reviews; your opinions and insights have helped immensely. Yours, Aoife--

Thinking back on the events of the year was tough. In a way, this year had been harder than any of the others Ren had known. She'd lost a family to gain another, and she'd found that people really were the same anywhere you went.

She'd watched Dick dress up for Halloween; though what he was supposed to be, she'd never know. There was something about him wearing a tuxedo T-shirt, plaid boxers and blue flip flops that confused the hell out of her. And she'd passed out candy just like she did every year; only this year, she hadn't known any of the children's names, nor did many of these children wear much face paint to hide more than just freckles.

Thanksgiving with Veronica and Keith had been interesting, to say the least. Ren had helped Veronica cook; though, neither was very good. Baking was second nature, but things that didn't involve flour and sugar were a bit foreign. It was also odd to actually sit down at a table with everyone. "Let's go around and say what we're thankful for," Veronica suggested.

"How old are you?" Ren asked, laughing.

"I'm serious," she shot back. "A lot has happened in the past couple months." The boys rolled their eyes. "I'll start. I'm thankful for finishing my internship successfully, and for meeting another girl who sees things the way I do." She smiled at Lauren, who was sitting across from her.

"Alright," Keith jumped in, "I'm thankful for the kitchen not burning to the ground, and the food not tasting horrible."

"Dad!"

"I wasn't done yet," he assured. "And I'm thankful that we found someone who could put the Fitzpatricks in their place." It was Ren's turn to roll her eyes.

"I'm thankful for family," Logan started. "Because if it weren't for my family, I wouldn't have the best sister in the world right now." He leaned over and kissed Lauren on the cheek. Ren thought for a minute. _What am I supposed to say? I'm thankful that my foster parents are dead; I'm thankful that I left my home to live with someone I only knew from a picture until he came to get me six months ago. _She finally just went with: "I'm thankful to be surrounded by such great people."

Christmas break had probably been the highlight of the year for Ren. Logan paid for three round-trip plane tickets to Boston, and Dick had paid for a week in one of the hotels downtown. As excited as she was to be where she'd grown up, nothing could compare to the way Dick's face lit up when Danny didn't check the boys' ID at the bar. He knew full well how old they were, but he also knew that they'd been taking care of his girl. "You know, I thought you'd finally gotten out of this shit hole for good Mo Chroi."

"I missed dragging Connor home to Kathleen, so sue me." The two laughed for hours reminiscing and catching up. She'd also shown the boys every house she'd lived in and all of her favorite places. And she couldn't help but laugh at them as they shivered; they'd brought warm clothes, but the boys weren't used to temperatures below 60, let alone below zero.

New Year's Eve was the first time she'd been kissed at midnight, which was fun--even if it was just Dick while he was drunk. It was also the first time she'd had St. Julian's sparkling juice instead of a shot of whiskey with Danny at the bar.

And this was the first year she hadn't had to work on St. Patrick's Day. Though, no one here quite celebrated it to its full glory. Maybe that was just a Boston thing. In Neptune, everyone just wore green and pinched you if you didn't have it on. Some people drank, but no one challenged her to shots of uisca beatha like they did at the bar; no one sang drinking songs together; no one ate corned beef and cabbage.

But most memorable of all had been graduation. It wasn't the school she'd expected to graduate from, but it wasn't surprising that she graduated from a high school that she hadn't started at freshman year--Neptune High had been her eighth school in her educational career. And it had definitely been a welcome relief walking across the stage set up in the gym. She hadn't necessarily expected to graduate. She did well enough in school, but she tried to take life one day at a time--she had always just known that one of these years she would end up spending too much time in the hospital, and the school would hold her back. In true "Veronica fashion," Veronica had held a party for Ren's graduation. This time Logan and Dick (with Mac's help) had gotten her a laptop. The day was almost perfect--better than her birthday--but Ren knew it couldn't last, and it didn't. By the end of the night Logan and Veronica were broken up again. "So you're just going to leave me?"

"Logan, I'm not leaving for good; I'm going back to the FBI. I'll only be gone for a couple of months."

"You'll be across the country, and you'll be the only girl in your division."

"So, I've been the only girl in situations before--do you not remember FBLA in high school?"

"That's not the point, Veronica."

"What _is_ your point, Logan?"

"That every time you go away somewhere, you never keep in contact. It's like I don't exist to you. And I don't know if I can trust myself to be faithful if you never talk to me."

"Then maybe I shouldn't trust you either, and maybe I shouldn't make you stay faithful. Have fun getting laid."

Her words were harsh, but not the coldest he'd ever heard from her. Watching her walk away, however, was one of the most painful things he'd ever endured. He felt like his chest was ripping in two.

That hadn't been Logan's week. A few days after the party, Lauren and her brother had gotten in their first real argument. Logan wanted Ren to go to college with him; Ren wanted to go home.

"Why would you want to go back to a place that caused you so much pain?"

"Because it's all I've ever known, Logan. All the streets where I grew up, the people who have watched out for me my whole life, they're all there. And it was never the bad things in my life that I focused on--it was the good things that got me through everything else."

"And that's enough to make you want to leave Neptune, to leave me?"

"What's keeping _you_ here?"

"I guess nothing now."

They'd sent the movers and the truck on ahead, and then followed in Ren's car--which, being a hybrid, got the best gas mileage, so they'd sold the others. And now as they pulled up to the house, Ren felt her heart jump and flutter, as though she'd finally fallen in love. Could you fall in love with a place? The car eased to a stop on the street in front of a pale blue house with tan shutters. There was a large wooden porch that held a swing out front. It was like something out of a dream. Inside, there was plenty of space, and all the furniture that had filled their apartment nearly to the door now seemed sparse. The window in her room opened west, so she would get to see the sunset every night.

The next morning, Ren was on a mission. She pushed open the heavy wooden doors and was greeted by numerous shouts that melded into one sonorous wave of praise. Pushing through a sea of hugs and kisses, she found Danny standing behind the bar, a sly half-smile on his lips and a mischievous glint in his eyes, waiting for her. "Well, Little One, what's your poison?"

"I didn't come for a drink this time, Danny."

"This is Logan with today's inspirational message: 'Opportunities are seldom labeled.' John A. Shedd.

"Logan Malcolm, it's me. I wanted to let you know that I got my job back here at the bar. Plus, Danny said there's enough room for you and Dick too. Meet me down here at 8 for your initiation shot. Love you."


	16. Chapter 16

Epilogue:

-Epilogue: Return to Me-

--To all those who once read this story like it was their job, I apologize profusely. I was recently going through my computer choosing which files I could delete, and decided to reread some of my old writing. I now realize how crappy it was to leave this story the way I did. For all you who believe in LoVe surviving everything, and to honor all those who have proven that if you really care about someone, distance is no object--

She pushed open the door to the back room and unloaded her tray of shot glasses into the sink. "God, does it ever stop?" Logan whined from the other side of the room. He'd just pulled a load of clean glasses out of the dishwasher.

"Not on a Friday night."

"Is Dick done singing yet?"

"'Fraid not," she winced. "I told Danny it was a bad idea to do karaoke while Dick was working, but he just didn't listen."

Logan couldn't help but laugh. He didn't hear much of what was going on out in the bar, but he had heard Dick sing before, and he pitied his sister having to be out on the floor while that was going on. "Well, it's about midnight," he said looking at his watch. "That means he can only torture you for another hour before he has to come back here again and start helping me clean up." Ren smiled at her older brother and headed back out to the floor. Dick had relinquished his place on the stage and was now entertaining a table of old women in order to get a larger tip.

Danny stood pouring beer into a glass from one of the taps. He caught her eyes and nodded for her to come closer. She weaved up to him and set her tray on the bar. "What's up?"

"There's a girl over there who looks kinda young." He motioned to a brunette sitting on a stool at the other end of the bar. "Would you go check her ID for me?"

"Since when did you start checking IDs?" Ren asked suspiciously.

"Since people I don't know started coming in," he retorted. "Just go do it, please?" She sighed and acquiesced, leaving her tray where it was and heading over to the girl.

"Excuse me, how old are you, Hun?" quickly turned into an excited squeal as the brown head turned around to reveal Chelsea. Lauren threw her arms around her friend, who hugged her back just as emphatically. She turned to look at Danny, who now had a sly smile plastered on his face. He winked at her, and she shook her head at him, smiling in return. She turned back to her friend and asked, "So what the hell are you doing here?"

"Well, first of all, how can you expect me to be able to get along in Neptune without the only person who shared my point of view on everything? And second, I'm going to Harvard."

"Get out! Seriously?!"

"Seriously."

"That's awesome, Chels. I guess I'm not _really_ that surprised. I mean, with your grades you could have gotten into any school you applied to." Chelsea shrugged smugly.

"I do have a confession to make, though."

Ren raised her eyebrow in confusion. "What's that?"

"I didn't come alone."

"Huh?"

Chelsea nodded up to the stage where two young people now stood. The guy had started picking out a melody on a guitar while the girl sang.

_Something in you brought out something in me  
__That I've never been since  
__That part of me that was only for you  
__That kind of romance  
__Comes only once that kind of love  
__That kind of fever dance  
__That you love because you become someone else in an instant  
__  
__Say you will, say you will  
__Give me one more chance  
__At least give me time to change your mind  
__It always seems to heal the wounds if I can  
__Get you to dance_

Ren's hand flew up to her mouth in disbelief. She raced back through the door and grabbed Logan's arm. "What?" he yelled as she tried to pull him out to the floor. "Lauren Margaret, what is your problem?" She pointed up to the stage, and he stopped cold. Very slowly, a smile began forming on his face, and he squeezed Ren's hand.

_Something in you put a hold on my heart  
__It's hard to believe now  
__Here is a place that will never be dark  
__I remember that place  
__That kind of touch, the electricity of love  
__That certain kind of grace  
__That you love because you become someone else in an instant_

_Say you will, say you will  
__Give me one more chance  
__At least give me time to change your mind  
__It always seems to heal the wounds if I can  
__Get you to dance_

When the song ended, Veronica hopped off the stage and sauntered over to them. "So it turns out that Quantico is a lot closer to Boston than it is to Neptune."

"Really?" Logan answered, his tone somewhere between wary and flirty.

"Yeah, one of the other interns told me that a few days ago, and I was like, 'Boston; that sounds kind of familiar. Who do I know in Boston?'"

Logan nodded at her, unsure of how to reply.

"So we're skipping the small talk then?" Ren asked. Veronica pursed her lips, and briefly looked down at her feet. Without warning, Ren pulled Veronica into a hug. "I'm glad you're here," she whispered. "I missed my sister."

Veronica returned the embrace. "Well, I couldn't just leave you all alone out here with no one but Tweedledum and Tweedledee." As she pulled back she motioned up to the stage. "But you may want to head in that direction before _he_ decides to leave." Ren's head jerked back to the area Veronica indicated.

He was turned around putting his guitar back in its case. "So what's _your_ story?" Piz whirled around; he hadn't expected her to come to him.

"What do you mean?"

"Chelsea's going to Harvard; Veronica's only a few hours away and can't live without Logan. What are _you_ doing all the way out here?"

He made his way to the edge of the stage and sat down with his legs hanging over the side. It made him eye level with her, and she appreciated the silent gesture. "I have an internship at a radio station in New York."

"Cool," she nodded. They stood looking at each other for a few awkward seconds. "Well," Ren breathed, "It was really nice of you to tag along to help Veronica like that." She turned around and took a step in the direction from where she'd come.

"That's not why I came," he objected to her back. Ren stopped but didn't turn around. "We made a deal a while ago."

Now Ren did turn around. And she was confused.

"I didn't want you to think I wasn't gonna hold up my end of it."

"What are you talking about?"

"You gave me a copy of a CD in exchange for some time with my guitar. But you've never played my guitar." His voice was flat and didn't hold the coyness that the words would normally have carried.

"You came all the way from New York to let me play your guitar?" Sarcasm dripped from the phrase as her eyebrow jumped toward the ceiling.

"I can't have you thinking I'm just like every other guy you met in Neptune," he shrugged. She took a few steps closer to him.

"And what are they like?"

"Liars . . . Jerks."

"And you're not like that?" Her sarcasm was less biting; she was starting to crack.

"I also wanted to give you this." He held up a closed fist. "You forgot it when you left." Another step brought her within two feet of him, and he dropped something into her open palm. She looked down at it, taking a moment to register the gift.

It was a guitar pick, a tortoiseshell Fender brand pick. The tip was worn; it had been more than used--it had been loved. A hole had been poked into the center of the top edge, and a small metal ring had been fed through it, turning it into a charm. She caught her breath and looked up at him. "Do you mean it?"

"If you'll wear it," he replied nervously. She bit her lip like she might be holding back tears and then threw her arms around his neck. He pulled her in as tight as he dared, sighing with an immense relief. "I love you, Baby," he whispered. "It took me six months of being mad at you to figure it out. And I promise I'm not going anywhere ever again." Ren pulled back and pressed her forehead against his, closing her eyes. A wet, salty drop found its way down each cheek.

"I'm sorry. I just . . ."

"No," he said, laying a hand on the side of her neck and running his thumb along her jaw line. "I'm sorry I took so long."

From across the room, Veronica and Logan smiled at the pair. "As much as I hate to admit it, he may not be such a bad guy after all," Logan offered. Veronica smiled up at him.

"You know, you're not such a bad guy yourself." Logan looked down at her, surprised. "I mean, you did fly across the country to adopt the sister you never knew. Then you took care of her, and helped her finish school . . . You even moved all the way back out here when she got homesick," Veronica rambled. His surprise turned into a smile, and he reached down pulling her into a kiss.

Up at the bar, Chelsea watched both couples, thoroughly satisfied, and slightly disappointed that she had no one like that yet. "You know, I could get you free drinks if you wanted to come in here with _me_ some time," a voice said at her right shoulder. She turned and looked him straight in the eye.

"There is not enough beer in the world, Dick."

**--Song lyrics are from "Say You Will" by Fleetwood Mac**


End file.
